


Why Not Both?

by crispybacon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Chronic Illness, Corporal Punishment, F/F, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Smut, Superfamily, Superhusbands, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-15 17:00:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 55
Words: 79,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16067435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crispybacon/pseuds/crispybacon
Summary: Sequel to "Promise of Tomorrow"Takes place immediately following the end of the first, right after Steve and Tony marry. Follow the family's journey as they maneuver through obstacles, exes, illnesses, teen drama and bullies...all within the first year.Also includes daddy-Bucky flashbacks. Also also mind the tags.¿porque no los dos? is Spanish for 'why not both?' for my non-Spanish speaking friends (like my pasty white self)





	1. Chapter 1

She stayed with Peter at May’s while her dads went on their honeymoon.

 

Joey really liked May and loved that she made her feel welcome in her own home. Not a lot of parent’s ex’s would willingly watch their new partner’s kid. But as Joey was learning, May was a damn Saint.

 

“How’d you and Tony meet, May?” she asked as she sat next to her on the couch. Peter had just fallen asleep after Jo read him a few stories, willingly obliging her little brother’s request when he had asked her.

 

May smiled fondly at her as she thought about her friend.

 

“We met in college, we were lab partners and he tried for the entire semester to get in my pants. Wouldn’t let him though,” she said with a laugh as Jo joined her. “He was never really my type. So we ended up being friends, but we lost touch after college. I saw him about five years ago at a party, we were both incredibly drunk and ended up sleeping together. Found out I was pregnant a few weeks later, panicked and called Tony. He said it was up to me but he’d support me either way,” she smiled again thinking about it.

 

“Wow,” Jo said, “If anyone else had gotten knocked up by Tony Stark, they’d exploit it for all it’s worth. You guys kept Peter a secret, you don’t take more child support than you need to, heck if I was in your shoes I’d be a stay-at-my-home/mansion-mom,” she said with a laugh. May shook her head fondly, laughing along with the teen.

 

“I never wanted any of that from Tony or any of that tabloid BS for Peter. I have a career because I never want to have to depend on a man. I mean, Tony will pay for his first car, college, that I have no problem with,” she paused as they both laughed again. “Tony’s my friend and we both knew we never would’ve worked out, we’re way too similar. But we’re a good team for Petey.”

 

“You are,” Joey confirmed with a smile. May looked at the teen for a moment before wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into her side. She rested her hand on the top of Joey’s head, gently running her fingers threw her hair. It was such a kind and simple move, but it suddenly felt like everything to the girl.

 

She’d never had a mother. Well, technically she did…for a few minutes. But then the universe ripped her away from the world.

 

She felt bad for even thinking it, but she’d always wanted a mom.

 

Of course she still loved her Dad. And Steve. And now Tony.

 

But they weren’t…they didn’t understand.

 

When she started her period…well looking back it was hilarious.

 

But it was not so much at the time.

 

She was thirteen when she got her first period. Months after she lost her father and was still getting accustomed to life without him. Living with her uncle wasn’t that big of a change, as he had practically been her second parent her whole life. But he hadn’t had to be her sole guardian and therefore hadn’t planned on teaching her how to handle blood in her underwear.

 

Steve was in school to be an EMT at this time. Her dad, Bucky, had left some money behind, letting Steve go to school and watch her full time. However, the closeted twenty-seven year old wasn’t exactly educated in the whole ‘menstrual cycle’. So it’s funny now, thinking about the two of them freaking out about blood in her underwear. She literally brought him the soiled panties while he was cooking dinner. They panicked, ended up burning the food and setting off the smoke alarms. Then the cramps started and Joey legit thought she was dying; which meant Steve did a quick Google search after extinguishing the small fire. She couldn’t move, curled up on herself on the couch after he helped her get to the living room. Then Steve drove to the nearest store – bringing back pads, Midol, chocolate ice cream and a heating pad (apparently a little old lady saw him struggling and helped him after he explained the situation)

 

Which of course is endearing and hilarious to look back on, but it could’ve been avoided if she had a mom.

 

Probably could’ve benefited from a female’s perspective for the sex talk. Not that she didn’t enjoy Steve’s slideshow…or his updated presentation after they both came out…it had always meant he was _trying_.

 

She felt selfish for her thoughts.

 

Hadn’t noticed she had rested her head on May’s shoulder as the woman continued playing with her hair. When she did, she briefly froze in place. May simply shifted to kiss the teen’s head, not stopping petting her hair.

 

Okay, maybe she could be selfish for a few more minutes.

 

\--

 

Her stupid locker wouldn’t open, resorting to pounding on the damn thing to get her stupid binder for stupid history class.

 

She was having a bad day, to say the least. The stupid train was late this morning so she was late to class with yet _another_ tardy. Then she had a pop quiz in math which was…always so much fun. Then this bitch in her PE class claimed she saw Joey ‘stare at her in the shower’ to which Joey quickly retorted she was ‘not into flat-chested anorexic looking bitches’. It got a laugh from the other girls in the locker room, but didn’t really help Jo’s bad day... and then to top it all off, the girl she actually _did_ have a crush agreed to go out with some jock bro.

 

And now, her fucking locker wouldn’t open. The noise of banging the accursed metal contraption meant she didn’t hear a crowd approach her – the flat-chested anorexic looking bitch at the forefront.

 

“Hey there, carpet muncher,” Staci Long sneered at her as the crowd laughed. Jo rolled her eyes heavily before turning around to confront this unoriginal bitch.

 

“You know, Staci, you could probably stand to get your carpet munched. Might even make you less of a bitch,” she retorted, smiling back at her as the crowd erupted in laughter.

 

“I don’t care that your uncle’s sugar daddy is a celebrity. You’re nothing more than a white-trash dyke,” she paused as the crowd laughed and Joey felt her fists clench. “Your poor dad, what would he think about you living with fags, huh? He was a white-trash carnie himself, right?”

 

The laughter immediately died out after her fist collided with Staci’s face, the skinny girl instantly collapsing to the ground.

 

 _Fuck_ , she thought as she flexed her fingers. She’d never punched a person’s face before.

 

Her dad had a punching bag set up when they moved out of the garage and into their one bedroom apartment. He kept in shape even as he worked as a janitor during the day and a bartender at night. AND still found time to be her dad and teach her to defend herself. It included boxing, lots of boxing. But even when her dad would spar with her and let her get a punch in – she never fully punched a person.

 

It was far more satisfying than her dad said it’d be. He gave her the whole “don’t do it unless absolutely necessary” shtick and even said then it would just hurt.

 

Which to be fair, it did, but it also felt amazing.


	2. Chapter 2

“Josephine,” Steve said sharply as he approached her in the kitchen.

 

“Yesiphine?”

 

“Don’t be cute, explain yourself,” he said as he rested his hands on his hips.

 

“You’re going to need to be more specific…”

 

Steve could feel his anger growing, “you know damn well what I’m talking about.”

 

“You mean the altercation I had at school?” she said coyly.

 

“By ‘altercation’ do you mean the fact you punched a girl in the face?”

 

“She’s older than me!”

 

“Not the point here!” he yelled. He swallowed some anger, but only some after she rolled her eyes at him. “Joey. Why did you punch a girl in the face?”

 

“Because she deserved it?”

 

“Why?” he demanded, tone sharp.

 

“Because! She…insulted my dads…” He softened a little at that, though not entirely – as they’ve had this conversation _several times now._

 

“Kid, we’ve talked about this. There are going to be bad people in this world that hate me and Tony, that doesn’t mean you sock them in the jaw.”

 

“ **All** my dads,” she emphasized, arms curling around herself as she leaned against the counter. 

 

_Shit._

 

“What’d she say about Buck, Jo?” he asked in a much gentler tone. She waited a beat before finally responding.

 

“She said…she said he was nothing but a white-trash carnie. And that he’d be disgusted I replaced him with…faggots. So yeah, I punched her fucking lights out,” she finished defensively, arms still tucked around herself.

 

Steve ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

 

When it came to his brother, he always found himself being more lenient – remembering he’d thrown a punch or two for Bucky back in the day.

 

“Jo…”

 

“She insulted my dads, both of them,” she said as she faced him, looking more and more like Bucky as she got older.

 

“Wait…both? I thought you said she insulted the three of us?”

 

“Well…yeah…but, you’re not my **dad** ,” she said nonchalantly as Steve’s entire body froze, swearing he could feel his heart drop to his feet.

 

“…what?” he asked quietly as his brain short circuited. A sneaky grin appeared on her face as the blonde’s brow furrowed in confusion.

 

“It’d be too weird, honestly. So I figured I wouldn’t confuse my little brother… **Pop** ,” she said with a shit-eating grin as she wiggled her brows at him.

 

They hadn’t discussed Joey calling them anything other than their names, figuring she’d feel weird about calling either of them ‘dad’ after her own died. Yet here she was, calling him by the name he’d loved hearing from Peter’s mouth. The grin spread across his face as he reached his arms out and quickly pulled her into a hug, ignoring her immediate protests.

 

“Shush and accept the hug from your Papa,” he said with a smile as she squirmed in his grasp, even reaching a hand up to push his face away.

 

“I never said Papa!” she countered with a laugh, struggling to free herself in his clutching embrace.  Steve ignored her in favor of embarrassing his girl further.

 

“Ugh, let me go! Stop being such a Neanderthal!” The suggestion gave him an idea, loosening his arms enough to throw the teen over his shoulder.

 

“Seriously?!” she asked, laughing and squirming from her new height. He walked the two to the living room, planning on tossing her onto the couch.

 

“I’ll take it back!” she threatened. Steve gave her a quick swat for that, stopping in his tracks when she retaliated in kind.

 

“Hey! You can’t swat your Papa, he swats you,” he joked as he tossed her on the couch.

 

“No you can’t!” she complained after bouncing a little, smiling up at him as she grabbed a pillow and threw it at his head. He caught it before that could happen.

 

“I’ve done it before, just don’t give me a reason to do it again,” he said as he gently put the pillow back on the couch.

 

He knew Buck used to spank her when she was little. She wasn’t a bad kid, but she’d often do things without his permission or things that would get her hurt. Mostly it was just a swat here or there, but he’s heard Bucky tell him how awful it was to actually spank her. His brother used to tell him it was the absolute worst part of parenting. Steve’s had the displeasure of doing it once, a few months after Bucky died. She ran away from home when she was just twelve and literally almost got herself sex-trafficked. They were both pretty shaken up afterwards.

 

“You wouldn’t,” she said hesitantly; Steve unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face when she brought his attention back to her.

 

“Don’t give me a reason to. And. I. Won’t,” he said, mostly to be obnoxious.

 

“Good grief, when’s my _favorite father_ going to be here? It’s his fucking mansion.” Steve reached over the couch to flick her ear.

 

“Watch your language, he went to get my _favorite child_. He should be back soon. Also, I think since we’ve moved in it’s your mansion too.”

 

“My name’s not on the lease,” she countered.

 

“Yeah there’s good reason for that,” he said as he made his way around the couch to join her. As he was plopping next to her, they heard the elevator ding. They stole a glance at each other before they heard quick tiny footsteps and greeted the energized child.

 

“I’m here for the weekend!” Peter shouted excitedly as he ran to jump into Steve’s arms. The blonde caught him, but not before he got a bony knee to the stomach. Joey groaned next to him as he felt her shift away on the couch, the blonde kissing his son’s cheek in greeting and withholding his own grimace in favor of hugging the boy.

 

“Pete you’re too bony to be jumping on people,” Joey complained as Tony made his way into the living room, sitting on the other side of their daughter.

 

“It probably hurt a lot less than a punch to the face, young lady,” Tony teased with a brow raised at the teen.

 

“It’s okay Tony,” Steve answered as he shifted his son more comfortably on his lap, “some not nice girl at school insulted you, me _and Bucky._ She didn’t like that she insulted her dads…or her Papa,” he beamed as he leaned over to pull her back to his side. He couldn’t see her face but her ears were tipped pink as she laughed.

 

He looked up at his love whose face changed to pure glee.

 

“I said Pop, **not Papa**!” she laughed as she squirmed away from him to sit back by Tony. Steve let her go, returning her mock glare as she grabbed Tony’s arm to wrap around herself – smirking at the blonde to remind him of her ‘favorite father’.

 

“I told **Steven** ,” she stressed with a smile, “I think I _might_ try out calling you guys by what Peter calls you. But someone lost their Pop privileges already.”

 

“Oof, tough break Steven,” his bastard husband agreed, pointedly tightening his arms around her at the implication.

 

“Thanks, **Dad** ,” she returned quickly, eyeing Steve the whole time.

 

Steve rolled his eyes fondly when his husband practically squealed in delight and hugged their teen harder. He then tickled the boy in his lap for cheering along, smiling at his ridiculous family.

 

“You’re still grounded for the weekend,” the blonde added, enjoying the groans coming from his three children.


	3. Chapter 3

FLASHBACK

 

“Hurry up Steve, you know she’s itching to start walking,” Bucky said as his baby babbled and tried again to crawl away from him. She was only in a diaper, since the nine and a half month old was going through a no-clothes phase. Since birth.

 

The blonde rolled his eyes fondly, finishing setting up the camcorder before moving to sit a few feet across from his brother.

 

“Ma made me promise to record it, you know she has to work,” Steve pointed out, crossing his legs and smiling at his baby niece – who was currently making grabby hands for him. When she started whining for release, Bucky lifted her up and held her steady on her two legs.

 

“Alright baby girl, walk to Uncle Steve,” he encouraged as she toddled a few steps forward. Steve reached his arms out invitingly just as she plopped down on her diaper. She startled to crawl to him before her dad pulled her back to try again.

 

“Come on Joey, you can do it,” Bucky repeated as she again toddled a little forward on her two wobbly legs.

 

“Maybe she isn’t as itchy as you thought she was,” Steve pointed out with a smile as she again fell on her bottom. His brother glared at him before trying a third time. She definitely made it further, but still plopped down on her bottom before Steve grabbed her to pull her onto his lap.

 

“Maybe she actually wants to walk to her Daddy,” Bucky said as he stretched his arms out to encourage her to walk to him. Steve had her wrap her tiny hands around his index fingers, lightly supporting her first few steps before letting her go. She took two whole steps before falling forward and into Bucky’s arms.

 

“That’s my girl!” he cheered as he brought her onto his lap and covered the giggly baby in kisses. He even clapped his hands together as Steve rolled his eyes fondly at him.

 

He was fifteen. And while he loved the two, he had other things he’d rather be doing on a Saturday night than watch his niece fall on her butt.

 

“Come on Jo, now walk to Uncle Steve,” his brother said. She looked up at him, pure excitement in her eyes as she waved her hands excitedly at her uncle.

 

“Seeb!” she cried out, trying to plop down in order to crawl over to him. Bucky grabbed her again and hoisted her upright, determined to get her to walk.

 

“You were just doing it! What now that a camera’s on you you wanna pretend you don’t wanna try anymore?” Bucky asked with a frown.

 

“Why do you want her walking anyway?” Steve asked as his brother relented and let her crawl over to the blonde. He pulled her onto his lap as he thought about all the trouble she already could get into on all fours.

 

“Because I want to encourage my daughter, Steven,” the nineteen year old said with a smile, only ever using his full name to annoy him. Joey took that opportunity to crawl over her uncle’s leg and towards the couch, where the camera sat.

 

“Encourage her to bring her destructive skills to new heights?” he teased, both watching as she focused her attention on the shiny camera just out of her reach.

 

“No,” Bucky said in frustration, leaning over to push the camera further back on the couch as she whined in protest.

 

“No dada,” she said, reaching on her tiptoes for the shiny thing she could put in her mouth.

 

“Yes dada, now come on baby,” his brother said as he dragged the girl back to focus on the task at hand. He sat up on his knees, holding her by her hands like Steve had as he walked the two over to the younger teen.

 

Steve prepared to roll his eyes at his brother but stopped when he saw the pure happiness in her eyes from walking. The blonde smiled and scooted back, encouraging her to walk farther. Bucky let go of her, the two watching as she toddled but finished walking - actually walking - to Steve.

 

The two guys were instantly cheering for her. Steve couldn’t help himself, he brought her into a hug and kissed her cheeks a few times for good measure.

 

_Alright…maybe this wasn’t as boring as he thought it’d be._

 

He turned her around, still wobbly on her two tiny legs as she squealed at seeing how happy her Daddy was. Bucky looked close to crying, scooting back to see if she could add a few steps. When she did, he lifted her up into his arms in joy.

 

“That’s my girl! Yay Jo!” he said, peppering her face with kisses as she squealed in delight. Steve remained sitting, laughing as his brother twirled the two around.

 

“Buck, don’t get her all riled up. I’m the one who has to put her to bed while you go to work,” Steve said with a small frown, disappearing when his brother turned back; absolutely offended.

 

“My daughter is a genius, little brother. Don’t be jealous cause you didn’t learn to walk until last year,” he said as he still hugged the girl tight. Steve rolled his eyes again as he stood up, walking over to stop the recording camera.

 

“Dada, down,” Joey said, trying to wiggle out of Bucky’s embrace. He relented, frowning as he placed her down on the ground. She immediately reached her arms out to the blonde, eyes focusing on the shiny camera in his hands.

 

“Seeb, up!” she said with a smile. When she decided to crawl closer to him, he stopped her with a hand out and a ‘nu-uh’. She looked back at him with the same offended look Bucky has just thrown at him, causing the blonde to chuckle a little.

 

“You gotta walk to me, Joey,” he encouraged as he dangled the camera in front of her, before quickly taking a step back to stand by the edge of the couch. He saw Bucky out of the corner of his eye move to watch what she’d do.

 

Joey simply pouted and remained sitting. She even threw in her best puppy eyes.

 

“Pees Seeb?” she asked, tiny hands grasping for the not-toy. Bucky let out a laugh, walking over to her to help her start by standing up, determined to have her walk again.

 

She waved off his hands after she was up on two legs, instantly reaching out to the couch for stability. Bucky took a step back as she practically glared at the two men. Then, finding a loophole, she used the couch for support as she walked over to her uncle.

 

Both men looked dumbfounded before erupting in laughter.

 

“She’s definitely your kid,” Steve said with a chuckle as he rested his hands and the camera on his hips at the sight. When she made it to Steve, she looked happy again to see him. She threw her tiny hands up at him, making grabby hands as she whined to be picked up.

 

“Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb,” she dragged out as she also added some tiny feet stomping. Steve turned to his brother. Bucky had his brows furrowed, not buying her act for a minute.

 

“Toss me the camera,” he said. Steve obliged him, smiling at the devastated look from his niece. His brother took a few steps towards her, trying to tempt her to walk back to him to get the enticing and shiny not-toy.

 

But she must’ve been getting sleepy, as just she turned back to Steve with big blue eyes and reached up for him again. They both laughed as Steve bent down to pick her up and saw Bucky check his watch out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Yeah, I guess I should be getting to work. Make sure you show Ma that video, she’ll love seeing how incredible her grandbaby is,” his brother said as he walked over to the two.

 

“Alright baby, be good for your Uncle Steve,” Buck said as he kissed her loudly on the cheek. She giggled adorably as Steve suddenly struggled to keep her upright, as she had practically bent over backwards to hug her dad.

 

Bucky laughed as he pulled her into his embrace, hugging her tight as she kept giggling. Steve rolled his eyes fondly at just having reminded his brother _not to get her riled up, BUCK._

 

“Love you baby,” his brother said, smiling when she returned with a “wuv you dada.” He kissed her cheek once more before handing her back over to Steve.

 

She rested her head on his shoulder as he hugged her close, glad to see she was actually exhausted from everything.

 

“And thank _you_ , **baby brother** ,” Bucky said, obnoxiously kissing the shorter teen’s temple as he grumbled in protest. Bastard knew he couldn’t retaliate with a sleepy baby in his arms.

 

“Alright you two, I’ll be back before the sun comes up,” he said quietly, realizing she was mostly asleep. “Huh, she doesn’t look so riled up to me. Looks like you won’t even have to read her a story tonight, just pj’s and she’ll be lights out.”

 

“Yeah,” Steve said with a frown he didn’t realize he was sporting. He saw Bucky out of the corner of his eye roll his eyes dramatically.

 

“You can still read her a story, Mother Goose, I’m sure she’ll be smiling in her sleep from it,” Buck said as he put his shoes and coat on. “Not that I’m jealous, or anything,” he added with a wink before grabbing his keys to leave. “Bye punk.”

 

“Bye jerk,” Steve said as he nodded goodbye to him. He turned to the sleepy baby in his arms, gently kissing the top of her head.

 

The four of them lived in a small two bedroom apartment, where the ‘master’ bedroom was barely bigger than the closet that was the smaller bedroom. His mom took the smaller one, while Bucky and Jo took the master, which left the futon in the living room for Steve.

 

On nights like these, where it was just him and Jo, he liked having her close when he slept. They didn’t live in the best neighborhood, and he loved the little one too much to not sleep in the same room as her. He’d sleep in Bucky’s bed, but the futon was bigger and he had growing pains that required stretching out.

 

Most of the time, he’d roll her crib in and sleep next to her to keep her safe. But sometimes Steve would build a little pillow-wall around her and curl up on the remainder of the futon. He didn’t trust himself not to squish her, as he’d recently gone through a little growth spurt, plus the little tyke could roll like a goddamn champ. It just always made him sleep easier knowing she was safe and close by.

 

Though she loathed clothing, it was still cold in their Brooklyn apartment. Luckily she was unconscious, so it was fairly easy to put her pajamas on. Afterwards, he laid her on the futon while he worked on the pillow-wall. She slept through it, and through being moved again when he finished. He stood for a moment looking at her, wondering how he should spend the next few hours before he would fall asleep…

 

…wouldn’t hurt to read her a few books.


	4. Chapter 4

He woke from the sound of his son slamming their door open, blinking at the boy screaming good morning to them.

 

“Morning Papa and Daddy! It’s time for breakfast!” the almost five year old shouted as he scrambled his way onto their bed and proceeded to hurl his tiny body on top of them. Tony groaned before burying his face in his pillow as he felt his husband shift next to him.

 

“Peter, what did I tell you about hopping on Pop?” the sleepy blonde asked. Tony fumbled around for another pillow as he covered his ears, ignoring their son waking them up so damn early – _and on a Saturday no less!_

 

“Not to…” Peter admitted, Tony easily imagining his son adding a pout to it.

 

“Mhmm. Just cause Dr. Seuss does it doesn’t mean you get to. Your dad and I need a minute to wake up, then we’ll come make you a big breakfast, okay buddy?” Tony could hear the small groan but smiled when the boy climbed off the bed and left the room. He felt Steve once again shift to lie on the bed behind Tony, removing the pillow from his head to plant a kiss on his cheek. The genius was glad when the taller man immediately settled behind him, arms wrapped around the brunette’s waist.

 

Last night was date night, so they didn’t end up falling asleep until three in the morning…and Peter just woke them up at…fuck if Tony was going to move to even check the time.

 

“It’s fucking six am, Tony,” he heard his husband growl in his ear. Tony couldn’t help the smile that instantly spread across his face, or the little sleepy giggle he let out as Steve squeezed him a little tighter. He kept his eyes closed, convincing himself they’d just fall back asleep when Steve began kissing the man’s cheek.

 

He found himself humming in approval, smiling more as he heard Steve chuckle behind him – absolutely loving that sound. The blonde started kissing his neck, laughing more when Tony stretched out to give him more access.

 

Tony finally opened his eyes and turned his head to see his love, who was smiling back at him as the brunette moved to roll on top of his husband.

 

“You know what would really wake me up?” Tony asked as he leaned down to finally get the kiss he was looking for. He felt Steve smile against his lips, large hands roaming up and down his back until they settled on his hips.

 

“We should,” the blonde said as he kept kissing him, “go…” he fumbled when Tony rolled his hips against him. Tony kept kissing him, hands roaming across the broad chest and resting on his nipples, rubbing them over the fabric of his shirt.

 

He smiled against his lips when his husband moaned at that, loving how sensitive his perky little knobs were.

 

It always seemed to come in handy to the genius.

 

But then said husband reached his hands around to grab the shorter man’s ass and Tony found himself moaning louder, pulling back to glare a little at the smirking beautiful bastard.

 

“I think Peter can wait a few more minutes while we shower, that always wakes me right up,” Tony offered after his glare broke and he smiled down at the man.

 

“That so?” Steve asked as he squeezed Tony’s ass again. He found himself closing his eyes in pleasure as his hips involuntarily grinded down on the man, smiling to himself as he felt the sudden hardening of his love.

 

Tony, being the little shit he was, quickly rolled off Steve and briskly walked to the bathroom, turning to offer a grin to the angry looking man. He internally squealed when the blonde ripped the blankets away and marched over to him.

 

Steve’s pupils were dilated to the point that you could barely see the blue and his predatory grin sent a small shiver down Tony’s spine as the man claimed his lips once more. His hands reached around to grab his ass again, this time lifting the smaller man up into his arms. Tony squealed but kept kissing him, absolutely loving how much the blonde has learned in such a small amount of time.

 

Not that he wasn’t great in the beginning; his boyish charm and rugged good looks made Tony an instant gonner. He just remembers how he had been a little…inexperienced.

 

He was a fast learner, however, as Tony was gently placed down in the already hot running shower – gawking at the man who immediately fell to his knees and proceeded to give Tony one of his top five favorite blowjobs of all time.


	5. Chapter 5

Not long after he got to the station, Sam was knocking on the door to his office. He waved him in, noting he only opened the door enough to stick his head in.

 

“Hey Cap, some guy’s here to see you?”

 

“Um…” Steve started as the door opened fully. He hadn’t scheduled anything and was confused as a tall man squeezed past Sam to enter his office. Steve stood up from his chair, brows furrowed as the stranger simple stood and smiled at the Captain.

 

He was taller than Steve by at least an inch, obviously toned even under his expensive looking clothes and sporting an impressive beard. Dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes, guessing he was probably late thirties.

 

Steve was almost taken aback by the man’s presence, steeling himself to throw a nod to Sam – who looked skeptically at the stranger before returning a nod and closing the door.

 

When they were alone, the man’s demeanor changed.

 

“So…you’re his new arm candy, huh?”

 

Steve blinked several times at that, wondering if he had heard him right.

 

“Excuse me?” Steve asked.

 

“I heard he tied the knot, had to see the competition for myself.” The blatant arrogance stunned the man, if only for a moment as Steve felt anger spread through him.

 

“Oh I’m sorry, how exactly are you competition?” he asked condescendingly.

 

The man huffed before answering, “oh sweetie, do you really not know who I am?”

 

“Am I supposed to?” Steve retorted. This got a glare from the stranger, who quickly sneered at him.

 

“My name’s Tiberius Stone. Been on and off with Tony since we were sixteen? The true love of his life?” the stranger said as he puffed his chest out.

 

The sheer audacity of this man made the eyebrows on Steve’s face shoot up. Also, the absolute **nerve** –

 

“Sir, it appears you are delusional. Would you like me to escort you to the nearest hospital?” Steve asked with a smile, glad to see it piss off the man.

 

“I have a lot of powerful friends, _Captain Rogers_. You might want to watch your back,” he threatened before quickly storming out.

 

Steve closed his eyes tightly as his fists copied the action. He stopped when he felt his fingernails begin to draw blood, hands opening up as he tried to get a hold of his self. He quickly sat back in his chair when he felt his body begin to literally shake with rage.

 

And some of this was for Tony, his **husband** , who never told him about this…particular ex.

 

 

* * *

 

  

He sat fuming on the couch, glad the kids were in bed as he waited for his husband to join him. He had just asked Jarvis to tell Tony he needed to see him – the man had been in his lab the last twenty four hours – and felt his anger growing with every second he waited for him. It was about a minute and a half until he heard Tony walking quickly into the living room.

 

“Hey, sorry hun, I needed to clean off some –” Tony halted a few feet from the couch, shrinking back when he saw how angry Steve was.

 

“What’d I do?” the brunette asked cautiously as he protectively crossed his arms across his chest, still staying away from his angry husband.

 

This realization had Steve relax his muscles a little. And his posture…and his face.

 

_It’s not like Tony knew he would be ambushed at work._

 

If he was being honest, he was mostly mad at himself for how jealous he was of the man. The incredibly good looking, obviously rich and apparently long-term partner of his husband. Thinking of that man touching him…

 

_Talk to Tony,_ his inner thoughts reminded him, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. When he opened them, Tony was standing in front of him and had his hands raised as if he was calming a spooked animal.

 

And didn’t that thought make Steve feel like a fantastic husband…?

 

Tony took it upon himself to take lead, gently pushing the blonde back against the couch in order to climb fully onto his lap. Steve gave him a half-smile, reminding himself they had both made vows they’d sworn to never break. He ran his thumb across Tony’s cheekbone, the genius returning the small smile as they looked into each other’s eyes. The brunette then brought his hand up to rest against his husband’s hand still stroking his cheek.

 

“What happened, baby?” Tony whispered as his smile morphed into a frown. Steve kept his hand against his cheek, thumb still gently tracing his cheek bone.

 

“I met your ex today,” he answered quietly. He looked up and couldn’t help smiling as Tony’s face scrunched up in embarrassment.

 

“You’re going to need to be more specific, love.”

 

“You’re ex boyfriend,” Steve clarified.

 

“You’re really going to make me say it?” Tony asked with a pout as Steve remained quiet. “ _You’re going to need to be more specific, love_.”

 

“Tiberius Stone?” Steve finally said, hand drawing back when Tony practically scrambled off of him in panic.

 

He stood a few feet away, hands grabbing his hair as he looked back at Steve in disbelief. Concern washed over the blonde, immediately squashing his anger as he frowned at how scared his husband was at the simple mention of that man.

 

“Fuck…” Tony began, “I’m so sorry Steve! Son of a bitch probably ambushed you at work, huh?” he asked as Steve’s face morphed into shock. “Of course he fucking did. I’ll take care of this, I promise. Shit, fuck no wonder you’re so pissed…” he rambled as he started pacing around Steve.

 

The blonde sat forward, reaching out for the bottom of Tony’s tank top and gently pulled him to stand between his legs and face him. He rested his hands on his hips, keeping him in place as he addressed the man he loved.

 

“Tony,” he began, waiting for the brunette to finally make eye contact before continuing. “Why didn’t you tell me about him? Especially if you’re not surprised he ambushed me at work?” Tony winced at that, face obviously pained at the questions. Steve kept his hands on the shorter man’s hips, one hand gripping tighter to remind him that he was waiting for an answer.

 

“He’s done it before…but I didn’t think…he moved to Scotland…” Tony said as he brought his hands up to his face, unable to continue.

 

“Well,” Steve began, momentarily letting him off the hook from explaining further. “He seems to think he’s the love of your life…considering you’ve dated since you were teens…” he trailed off, hands still gripping his hips to keep the man grounded. Tony’s hands finally fell from his face, tears in his eyes as he looked at Steve in pain.

 

“I swear to you,” the brunette began, “I swear to you Steve I want **nothing** to do with him. Our fathers were friends, I’ve known him my entire life. He was…” he paused, face morphing into anger. “He _is_ a fucking monster. I had a restraining order against him…it must’ve expired…” he trailed off looking away from Steve, blinking away several tears.

 

The blonde gently released his grip and pulled his own legs up onto the couch, bringing Tony with him as he gently pulled him down and into his arms – the two stretching out on the couch as Steve felt one hundred percent of his anger redirected to that man. He wrapped his arms around his husband, allowing all of the anger to be set aside for now as he worked on comforting the love of his life, gently kissing the back of his head.

 

“I’m not angry at you Tony,” he whispered as he shifted his head to kiss his husband’s cheek. “I promise I don’t fully blame you for today, clearly this man is a fucking psychopath. Especially if the thought of him affects you like this…” he said as the tension in Tony’s body slightly dropped.

 

Steve felt himself smile at that.

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I told him he was delusional. Offered him a ride to the hospital,” he said, smile spreading when he heard Tony chuckle a little in his arms. He snuggled him closer, smiling into his hair as he let Tony postpone the inevitable back-story.

 

“We made vows Tony, vows neither of us plan on breaking, right?” he asked, arms loosening as he felt Tony shift around until he was facing him – the blonde tightening his arms around him once he settled. His love smiled at him, nodding his head in silent agreement.

 

Steve leaned the extra inch to kiss his lips, smiling as the brunette returned the kiss. Tony pulled back first, surprising the blonde as he smiled at the man before he rested his head in the crook of Steve’s neck. Steve ran a hand up and down Tony’s back, smiling when the man essentially purred in response. After a few minutes he realized they probably shouldn’t fall asleep on the couch, gently shifting Tony away from him. The man’s eyes were closed, though they blinked open from the shifting as a frown appeared on his face.

 

Steve smiled at him, not able to help himself getting a quick kiss from those sexy pouty lips before explaining, “let’s go to bed, love.” Tony nodded in understanding, still groaning as he let Steve help him stand up off the couch and head to their bed.

 

“I love you Steve,” Tony whispered after Steve pulled him onto his chest and settled the blankets around them. Tony’s head rested on his upper chest as he lightly traced a finger over Steve’s collar bone, sending a chill down Steve’s spine.

 

“I love you too, Tony,” he responded immediately, smiling when he heard his love hum happily.

 

They’ll deal with this all later. Together.


	6. Chapter 6

Something happened last night with her parents. Her Pop was pretty pissed when he got home from work yesterday and last night she definitely heard shouting and crying coming from the living room.

 

She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but she might have had a bad dream and just wanted a late night snack. But she would have had to walk around the living room to get to the kitchen. And that was not an awkward experience she needed to participate in.

 

So she went back to bed, spending too much time worrying if one of them was secretly dying before finally falling asleep.

 

Needless to say, she was tired when she went to school the next day, unable to focus on her friend Xavier complaining about the latest Batman franchise.

 

“Can you **believe** that bullshit casting? She’s not even gay! And Batwoman is Jewish, for crying out loud where is the representation?” he asked dramatically.

 

“That shit cray,” she mumbled in agreement as she rested her face in her hand.

 

“I mean, I won’t lie, her tits are amazing but you know who would’ve done the comic justice?” he asked.

 

She had her eyes closed, mumbling something in response. She thinks.

 

“Hey!” Xavier said to get her attention, continuing when she blinked herself awake. “You is a gay nerd, where is your anger?”

 

“Jesus Xavy, the only ‘Cane’ I’m concerned about, is Cassandra. Why are you yelling at me at seven in the morning?”

 

“It is well past eight, what the hell did you get into last night?”

 

She threw a glare his way, glare deepening when a group of passing girls laughed at that. Xavier threw her an apologetic look before leaning closer to her. She waited for the nosy girls to keep moving before answering him.

 

“Nothing, actually. I have been behaving, I’ll have you know, sir. Anyway last night I had a bad dream, so I went to the kitchen, you know, to grabs me a snack,” she said, smiling as he nodded in agreement.

 

“And, anyway, I heard the padres getting into a fight in the living room. So I immediately went back to bed and spent the night wondering if one of them is dying because I have attachment issues and an overactive imagination.”

 

Xavier huffed out a laugh in response, composing himself when she threw a mock glare in his direction.

 

“Sorry, that totally sucks Jo.”

 

“Yeah, it’s probably nothing…” she started to say, noticing Cara was smiling at her from across the cafeteria. She smiled back and stopped when Xavier snapped his fingers in her face to get her attention.

 

“Hey, don’t make eye contact, she might come over here.” She rolled her eyes at her friend and did her best not to look at the beautiful woman.

 

“What do you have against her?”

 

“I just don’t like her, she seems two-faced.”

 

“Everyone in high school is two-faced, Xavier.”

 

“I’m not!” he pouted at her.

 

“Please, I know you’re just my friend cause you want to work for Stark Industries one day.”

 

“Damn, you got me there,” he said flatly, “but…you know she’s not gay, right?”

 

“You don’t know that.”

 

“She’s dating Nick, the pompous wide receiver on my team.”

 

“And you claim to be straight, which means you don’t have proper gay-dar.”

 

“Bish I don’t _claim_ to be anything. I know I’m straight, alright, I love the pussy, it’s why we’re such good friends,” he said as she rolled her eyes at him while he continued.

 

“However, I also know sexuality is a spectrum and I recognize that there might be a man out there who could turn me. In fact, if one of your dads does die, I’d happily take over as step-dad. Either one of them, I would do that for you,” he said, pausing as she laughed loudly at him.

 

Fuck, she almost wishes she wasn’t gay cause she genuinely loved this guy.

 

“Now, with Steve…I’d probably be a bottom…” he continued.

 

“Oh my god, STOP!” she said with a laugh.

 

“And with Tony, obviously I’d let the genius choose, since he’s kind of my hero…”

 

“Xavy, I’m warning you…”

 

“But honestly, I love you so much I would take either.”

 

“Hey! I’ll make you a deal. You don’t talk about wanting to have sex with my parents, and I won’t talk about how **delicious** I think you’re big sister’s pussy tastes.” He sat back in shock and disgust, even funnier since his big sister was actually pansexual. And single.

 

“Jesus woman. Fine, you’ve got a deal.” He pulled his phone out and played with it for a moment while Jo stole another glance at Cara.

 

“Hey, so…I don’t think either of your dads are dying.” Joey practically had whip lash turning back so quickly to him.

 

“What?”

 

“There’s just…a TMZ article about one of Tony’s exes reappearing yesterday,” he said, showing her his phone.

 

Sure enough, a bearded blonde was photographed walking out of a Manhattan restaurant. A man Jo had never even heard of, but apparently was some millionaire named Tiberius Stone.

 

“So it looks like you have nothing to worry about, Jo-bro. They got into a fight about an ex, but your dads are like, obnoxiously in love. Soul mates, probably. If you believe in that, not sure I do,” he admitted thoughtfully.

 

“He looks like a dick,” she said, handing the phone back to him.

 

“Prolly has a tiny one,” Xavier muttered in support. She smiled at him, so incredibly thankful for her friend. In this uppity spoiled private school, she tolerated very few people.

 

And only really loved one. The linebacker sitting next to her who by all accounts was too loved by the rest of the school to be her best friend.

 

Well, maybe two…

 

The bell suddenly rang, the two teens taking their sweet time to get up and go to their first class of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

He snuck out early the next morning, leaving Steve a note that he’d be back later and pinky promised he’d talk to him about all of this. Currently, he was avoiding that by staying late in his office and yelling at his legal team.

 

“See, what I don’t need right now, are fucking excuses. I don’t care how, I just want that fucker gone,” Tony growled at his eight well paid lawyers. He had called them into the conference room, as well as Pepper and his new assistant, Marcus, who were sitting off to the side.

 

“Mr. Stark, unless a judge can see you are in imminent danger, then we don’t have legal action to file another–”

 

“–you know Kevin that sounds an awful lot like an excuse, which I distinctly remember saying I don’t need right now…”

 

“Mr. Stark, we understand your concerns, we can provide body guards for you and your family…but Kevin’s right sir, unless we have _recent proof_ of threats, there’s not a lot else we can do,” Andrea said in apology.

 

“He threatened my husband in his own goddamn office! How is that not enough?!”

 

“Mr. Stark, that is a matter of he said/he said –” Jennifer began.

 

“–No, see I don’t pay you people to give me this bare minimum bullshit.”

 

“Mr. Stone is a powerful man, as is his father –” Michael added.

 

“No shit Sherlock!” he shouted at them and slammed his hands on the table. He saw Pepper out of the corner of his eye raise a brow at him, but it didn’t stop him like it normally does.

 

“I know all of that,” he said more calmly, “but last I checked SI was doing significantly better than Stone Inc in the stock market, my technology is light-years ahead of there’s and I **thought** I hired the best damn legal team New York can offer!” his voice raising in the end. “Pretty sure that makes me fucking powerful enough to remove an abusive, psychotic asshole off this continent!”

 

“Tony,” Pepper said pointedly, continuing when he finally looked at her. “Why don’t we take a five minute break?” He nodded in response after taking a deep breath, staying still as the team of eight slowly made their way out of the room. Pepper and his assistant remained, Marcus quickly moving to the small table to make Tony a latte.

 

“Tones, I know, okay? I know how difficult this all is for you, but screaming at your legal team instead of facing your husband is not helping you! And neither is a caffeine drink at nine o’ clock at night, Marcus,” she said with a glare in the assistant’s direction.

 

“Oh no, Ms. Potts, this is decaf,” he said as he handed Tony the drink. The genius just stared back at the man, shock on his face as the new hire simply set the drink down in front of him.

 

“Marcus, you’re fired.”

 

“No, you’re not,” Pepper quickly added, while Tony couldn’t help but smile at the genuine fear in Marcus’ eyes.

 

“Marcus, you take a few minutes as well,” she added. Tony begrudgingly took a sip to assure the man he wasn’t actually fired, and also avoided the “I told you so” look from Pepper.

 

“There has to be something they can do,” Tony said more seriously, not looking up at one of his oldest friends as he stared at the drink in his hands.

 

“I’m sure there is, but right now _you_ need to _go home_. Tell Steve the truth, pig out on some junk food and take comfort in your wonderful family. Or have Steve fuck you silly, I know that usually calms you down,” she smiled as he laughed at her.

 

“You pay your legal team the big bucks for a reason, give them a chance to do their job, alright?” He glared at her for a moment, hating how damn smart she was.

 

And how well she really knew him.

 

It’s not that he was _scared_ to tell Steve the truth…he was just slightly _terrified_ at not only saying the words aloud, but more so Steve’s reaction. How furious he will be at Ty and…how pathetic he might think Tony is for not leaving him sooner.

 

“He won’t think differently of you,” Pepper the Fucking Mind Reader said, a small handle resting gently on Tony’s shoulder. He still scoffed, his insecurities always getting the better of him.

 

“Tony, honey look at me,” she said gently, continuing when he finally did look at her. “Steve loves you. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to love you more than Jim and I, but **he does**. And admitting to being a victim will probably only make him love you more. Well, that and he’ll probably be extra protective and possessive of you…which I also happen to know is one of your kinks…” she paused as Tony snorted with laughter.

 

He shook his head fondly at one of his favorite people ever. She smiled back at him for another moment before addressing him more seriously.

 

“Have I ever lied to you?” she asked. He smiled brightly before acting offended.

 

“Are you really going to make me bring up the MET Gala of ’96?” he asked with a smirk. She returned the laughter and quickly pointed a finger at him in defense.

 

“Okay, so I lied ONE TIME, you have to let that one go…”

 

“It’s a pretty important lie, Pep, you kept me from sleeping with ’96 Brad Pitt – you jealous bitch,” he said, unable to continue as he laughed along with her.

 

“Okay! I get it! Sorry I lied ONE TIME because I wanted Brad Pitt for myself, okay? Jesus. Have I ever lied to you about things **that matter?** ” she asked more seriously, though her face still sported a small smile at the memory.

 

“No,” he admitted with a pout, even crossing his arms for good effect. He broke with a smile as she fondly rolled her eyes at him.

 

“Well then, trust me. Go home,” she added with a little glare, going so far as to give him a gentle shove towards the door. “You’ve got an entire team behind you. But right now you need the one in front of you, waiting for you at home, okay?” she suggested more gently as he nodded in agreement, grabbing his things to leave.

 

Damn that woman.


	8. Chapter 8

He was so damn grateful for May, who happily accepted having Joey for the night so Steve could talk one on one with his husband without any distractions. Plus Joey seemed more than excited to hang out with May and Peter, so win-win.

 

The blonde went out to get his husband’s favorite junk food. He figured Tony would take his time getting home, and if there was something Steve has learned long ago with taking care of a small child – patience is a fucking virtue. It won him many an argument with a certain girl, whose name he won’t mention.

 

So he figured since he was off tomorrow anyway – he’d give his husband space and time to tell him, while also bribing him.

 

He of course assumed the worst about this man.

 

What kind of name is Tiberius Stone, anyway? Some power hungry prick that hurt the love of his life…

 

His thoughts are interrupted when the elevator finally dings at a quarter to ten.

 

He was finishing up putting the Hershey’s kisses on the peanut butter blossoms he made for Tony when the man slowly joined him in the kitchen.

 

“Are those…?” his handsome man stuttered out, a genuine look of surprise on his face. Steve easily smiled at the question, and how cute his face was.

 

“Peanut butter blossoms, your favorite,” he said, feeling his cheeks blush.

 

“But you only make those during Christmas,” the genius pointed out, warily making his way to the cooling batch closest to him.

 

“Well, I thought you could use some cheering up…” he said with a shrug and a small smile.

 

“You didn’t have to do this, Steve,” Tony said more seriously, stopping himself from actually eating one.

 

“Oh, well…you’re right,” Steve said teasingly. “I **didn’t** have to, so I guess we can wrap these up for May…?”

 

“No! No no. NO. You went through all this trouble, it would be rude of me to not at least sample your act of kindness,” he said seriously, getting a laugh from Steve. He watched his man grab one and pop the whole thing in his mouth, moaning slightly at the food orgasm currently happening behind his plump lips.

 

“You are,” his husband said around chewing his cookie, “quite the seductive mistress, Steven.”

 

The blonde laughed fondly at him, walking over to stand in front of his husband, still giving him the chance to lead this discussion.

 

Tony smiled at him for a moment before leaning up to kiss him. Steve wrapped an arm around his slender waist to bring the man closer, deepening the kiss. Tony pulled away for a moment, looking around as if to expect their kids to walk in on them.

 

“They’re with May, just you and me tonight, beloved,” Steve said gently. Tony offered a half smile in response, looking eternally grateful at Steve – before said look turned mischievous.

 

“So it’s just us?” Tony asked, moving to unbutton Steve’s shirt. The blonde rolled his eyes fondly at the man, knowing there was a chance that they couldn’t just jump into the tough conversation. A pretty big chance, actually…since his husband was a damn horn-dog.

 

Not that he was necessarily complaining, of course.

 

He just also knew his husband well enough to know that sex always made him happy and compliant…

 

So Steve stood there looking at Tony hungrily as the shorter man slowly brought the shirt off his broad shoulders and rested it on the counter next to them.

 

“I don’t know about you…but I could use a shower, Captain,” Tony said, looking up at Steve with those soul-stealing brown eyes. Steve lost a little control then, not exactly letting Tony lead when he easily grabbed the man’s ass and brought him up into his arms.

 

It seemed like a good decision though, when the brunette squealed adorably before kissing Steve like his life depended on it. He balanced the love of his life as he walked them to their shower, before quickly helping each other strip down completely.

 

The running warm water cascading down their bodies only added to the pleasure of the whole experience. As it usually did.

 

“I take it back, you’re an evil genius,” Tony murmured while Steve turned him around to lean against the wall, squatting behind him to use his mouth to open him up. Steve used his hands to spread those gorgeous cheeks apart, the blonde smiling at the cute pink swirl waiting for him before answering his husband.

 

“¿Porque no los dos?” he asked innocently before diving in to his task at hand. The subsequent screaming encouraged him to continue to live up to both roles.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Why did you take a restraining order out on him?” he asked after they had showered and were getting dressed. He gave up with letting Tony lead, realizing maybe he actually needed prompting. He noticed his husband flinch, though, which made Steve feel guilty.

 

“Because he was an abusive fuck,” Tony confessed, not looking at Steve. He held his shirt in his hands, staring at the wall as he continued. “He was manipulative and controlling and broke into my house the last time I dumped him. That’s why I took out a restraining order.”

 

“But…” Steve fumbled, “…then why did you date him on and off?” Apparently that was the wrong question, Steve immediately feeling extra guilty when Tony finally turned to face him and looked absolutely broken.

 

“Because I didn’t think I deserved any better, Steve. He convinced me I didn’t. Well…” he scoffed and looked away again. “…him and Howard.”

 

Now this man, this fucking man Steve was familiar with. Though he’s been dead nearly twenty years, Steve still wished he could bring that man back long enough to kick his ass for what he did to Tony.

 

He knew what it was like to have an abusive father…something they unfortunately shared.

 

But Steve and Bucky had each other, at least. And they only saw that shithead on the weekends until their mom realized what was going on.

 

Tony didn’t have anyone, only an abusive father and checked-out mother for twenty years.

 

He shook himself from his thoughts as he remembered what they were really here to talk about; the man Tony never even mentioned before yesterday.

 

He’d never seen him react that way about one of his exes. Even the more ‘desperate for fame’ ones he talked about fondly.

 

But this one put a look on his husband’s face that demanded explanation.

 

He sat on the edge of the bed while Tony remained standing and avoided looking at him. Steve was still patient, understanding whatever Tony was about to tell him would be hard.

 

The shorter man crossed his arms over his chest, finally looking up at Steve.

 

“I’ve known Ty my whole life,” Tony began as Steve sat forward to pay attention. “Our parents were friends. When I came out to my parents as bisexual, they were appalled…until I told them who I was dating. Ty was my first boyfriend and…” he looked away again, tears in his eyes when he eventually looked back at Steve.

 

“He raped me, Steve. Got me drunk enough so I couldn’t say no,” pausing to gage the man’s reaction. Steve felt anger growing in his chest but did his best to contain it. The laugh that Tony choked out next broke his heart.

 

“Wanna know what my father said when I told him?”

 

_Steve did not want to know, but he wasn’t going to actually stop him_.

 

“He said I shouldn’t complain because I already ‘take it up the ass.’ I also confessed to Howard that Ty hit me, and the man said _maybe his toughness would finally rub off on me_.” Tony paused to clench and unclench his fists a few times in anger. Steve stayed silent, arms practically twitching from the desire to wrap his arms around his love. It was especially difficult when the man slowly walked towards the blonde.

 

“Ty was possessive and manipulative and fucking ruthless. He was smart and his father was powerful. I kept coming back to him because I was convinced I couldn’t do any better. It wasn’t until,” Tony paused, an actual smile spreading across his face. “It wasn’t until Peter was born that I finally woke the fuck up. That and, Rhodey kicked his ass for me. Pepper got a few licks in too, don’t worry, then she helped me slap a restraining order against him,” he said as Steve found himself smiling at the thought.

 

The blonde figured he’d held off as long as he could, gently grabbing the brunette by his hips and bringing him closer. When he was close enough, Steve moved his hands to gently grab the calloused yet still soft hands of his husband. Tony gave a squeeze of his own, looking into Steve’s eyes as a smile slowly spread across his face.

 

“I’m sorry baby,” Steve began, “I’m so sorry you went through that.” When he saw his husband shrug in response, he released his hands in favor of pulling the brunette fully on his lap. Tony easily melted into his embrace, wrapping his arms around the blonde’s neck as Steve held him close to his chest.

 

“Whatever you need from me,” Steve promised as he rubbed Tony’s back, “just let me know, okay? I promise Tony I’ll help you any way I can.” He smiled as he felt Tony relax in his arms, the brunette rubbing his face into the blonde’s neck as he made himself more comfortable in his lap. He smiled brighter when his love’s goatee tickled his neck, keeping his composure as he heard his husband sigh in contentment.

 

Steve gently rocked the two back and forth, vowing he wouldn’t let that abusive fuck get anywhere near his man again.


	9. Chapter 9

Tony had offered his chauffeur – “Anything- **but** -Happy,” she liked to call him – to drive her to and from school, but she politely declined. It was bad enough when kids at school made fun of her; she never wanted to give them any ammunition. So she took public transportation, assuring her dads it was safe and easy.

 

On this particular day though, she had a funny feeling as she approached the train stop. An older woman appeared to be staring at her and was standing directly in her path. Joey found herself slowing down a little as the older woman smiled at her.

 

“Josephine?” she asked as the teen came to a complete halt a few feet away. The woman looked slightly familiar, but nothing actually came to mind as to why she would know her name.

 

“Who’s asking?” she said as she looked around her for a possible escape route.

 

“Your grandmother,” the woman answered as Joey felt her brows furrow.

 

She knew her Nana, Sarah Rogers, died when she was four, having one or two snippets of memory about her. This woman was not Sarah Rogers.

 

“My granny died when I was four, I think you’ve got the wrong girl,” she said as she turned to walk away from this woman.

 

“Your mother was my daughter,” the woman said, causing the teen to turn back to her.

 

“What was her name?” Joey asked skeptically, unsure if this was some kind of stunt. She wasn’t eighteen…so this bitch was in trouble if she was actually with the paparazzi.

 

“Lacy Renee Spencer,” she answered. _Well, a quick Google search could prove that._

“What happened to her when she was 12?” she asked, familiar with this tale of her mother. The woman smiled at her before rolling her eyes fondly.

 

“She broke her arm trying to win a bet,” she said with a brow raised. She continued talking when Joey still stared skeptically at her.

 

“She was born April 22nd at 3am after putting me through 16 hours of labor. She had her father’s eyes and her mother’s…stubbornness,” she finished carefully.

 

“And why the sudden interest in _my_ life?” Joey asked with a small glare. Her dad had never really talked about her mom’s family. She thinks she remembers him even saying they had died…

 

“I wanted to meet you,” she said quietly.

 

“Uh huh, and why did it take you seventeen years to find me?”

 

“Because…because your mother never forgave me for your uncle’s death…and then when she found out she was pregnant…she swore you and I would never meet. And your dad kept her wishes. By the time I found out what happened to your father…it was too late.”

 

Joey stared at the woman…considering her words as she still wasn’t sure if she could fully trust her. The train whistle blew from a distance, indicating her train was arriving at her stop. She looked at the woman before continuing on her path.

 

“Please,” she said as she stuck her hand out to stop the teen. “Here,” she added as she grabbed something in her purse, “take my business card, I’d love to treat you to lunch.”

 

Joey stared at her a moment longer before taking the card and running to catch her train.

 

She glanced at her from her window seat, a small smile appearing on her face as the woman smiled and waved goodbye. The ride home was only about fifteen minutes, and she spent that time day-dreaming about having a grandma.

 

Her name was Carolyn Foster and she owned a bakery in Portland, Oregon. Her grandmother literally bakes cookies. And she had just been wondering what it would be like to have a female to talk to…wondering why Steve had never mentioned her.

 

Maybe her dad never said anything to him.

 

Maybe he didn’t know she was even alive.

 

_And if he did_ , she thought bitterly to herself, _he had some explaining to do_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

He was drawing in the living room with Tony’s feet on his lap when she got home. The teen was momentarily thankful Peter was at his mom’s so she didn’t have to censor herself. She dramatically threw her backpack down on the couch to capture their attention. It worked, both men turning to her in confusion.

 

“I have a fucking grandmother?!” she demanded at Steve, who simply set his pad of paper aside at her outburst. Tony, still confused, looked back and forth between the two as Steve took a breath to answer.

 

“Your Nana died when you were four…”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me about her? Why didn’t my Dad tell me? Why did you guys keep her from me?” she demanded as he stared back at her. She saw Tony out of the corner of her eye, moving his legs to sit up and participate.

 

“Sweetheart, what happened?” the brunette asked.

 

“My parents lied to me,” she snapped at him.

 

“What happened _today_ , Joey?” he asked again patiently, unfazed by her anger towards him. She took a breath, redirecting her anger away from the innocent father and turning to the guilty one.

 

“Carolyn Foster, my mother’s mother, stopped me before I got on the train after school to confront me. She told me my parents kept me from her for some reason…”

 

“You wanna know why?” Steve asked sharply, revealing to her he’d known about this all along. _Just when she thought he was innocent._

 

She felt anger roll over her as she refused to break his piercing blue eye contact.

 

“Steve,” Tony began, unsure of what was happening but noticing his husband’s anger.

 

“Your ‘grandmother’ bullied your _other_ gay uncle to the point that he killed himself. When he was fifteen and your mother was seventeen. And then, months later when your mom found out she was pregnant, her mother – your grandmother – kicked her out of the house. She moved in with me, Bucky and our mom in a shitty two bedroom apartment until you were born. And your grandmother, mind you – not the one that cried the first time she held you and spoiled you every day she could – but your **other grandmother** , literally told me she wanted _nothing to do with you_ …” he choked out the last of the words like the memory was too painful to say.

 

She stared at him, unable to move or say anything as his words set in. She felt frozen and rigid and the combination of anger and betrayal burned inside of her. Her chest actually ached at the confession, confirming her worst suspicions that nobody wanted her. Before either of the men could say another word, she turned on her heels and left to her bedroom. 


	10. Chapter 10

He felt Tony shift on the couch, putting an arm around him as Steve hung his head in pain and anger. His head rested in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees, only slightly leaning into his husband’s embrace.

 

“I shouldn’t have said that,” he groaned out, “she didn’t need to know that – no matter how horrid that woman is…”

 

“You can tell her that later,” Tony said after kissing his shoulder. “She might need a few minutes to cool off.” Steve considered his words, but still didn’t know how to tell a kid it’s okay that someone that was supposed to love them didn’t…

 

Steve remembers calling the woman the day after that sweet angel was born. The day after her own daughter had passed. And that bitch actually blamed that baby for her daughter’s death and told Steve never to call her again.

 

**That** , Steve swore to himself, would not be revealed to her. He registered Tony rubbing his shoulder in comfort, feeling himself relax and even smile a little at the kind action.

 

With everything that has been happening lately, it was exactly what he needed from his love. And Tony read his mind, snaking his other arm to wrap fully around Steve and rested his head on the blonde’s shoulder.

 

“Can I help?” the brunette asked, the question adorable enough to bring Steve up and returning his husband’s embrace.

 

“You already are,” he said as he selfishly relished getting to hold him. And it seemed Tony was able to read his mind again, chuckling a little before squeezing Steve tighter.

 

“You know what I mean,” the brunette clarified with a smile in his voice. “What do you want me to do to help?”

 

Steve pulled away at that, noting the frown on his love’s face before he quickly answered the question.

 

“What do I…I don’t even know what to say to her…” he confessed looking into those beautiful brown eyes. Tony simply smiled at him, reaching to grab the blonde’s hand and intertwining their fingers together.

 

“What do you want to say to her?” the brunette asked gently. Steve’s brows furrowed playfully as if he had a deep thought.

 

“That Carolyn is a disgusting hag and doesn’t deserve Joey,” he said, enjoying the laugh it got out of his husband. “And…” he continued more seriously, “I want to tell her it’s okay to lose family members that don’t love you. That she gets to decide who her family is from those who actually love her.”

 

“Like us?” the genius asked coyly, smiling brightly at the blonde.

 

“Like us,” Steve confirmed with a smile as he leaned over to kiss that adorable man.

 

“And Peter,” Tony reminded him, squeezing the hand he was still holding.

 

“And Peter,” Steve confirmed.

 

“And Sam, and Nat, and Clint, and Rhodes, and Pepper and May,” Tony said assuredly. Steve smiled and nodded, seeing where he was going with this. Fuck he loved this man, felt incredibly lucky to have him. Especially now when he needed him.

 

Steve pulled his hand away to place both on the side of his love’s face, bringing him in to kiss in gratitude.

 

“I love you,” he whispered after resting their foreheads together. Tony smiled in return before whispering it back.

 

“I love you too.”

 

Steve pulled back first, grabbing his husband’s hand again before asking for help.

 

“Will you help me talk to her? Maybe explain sometimes the people that are supposed to love you just…don’t?” he asked, wincing a little at the implication. They both knew he was talking about Howard and Steve just always felt bad even mentioning him.

 

Tony didn’t seem to mind, smiling and nodding in understanding.

 

The two got up to go reassure their kid.


	11. Chapter 11

When she was ten, she remembers asking her Dad where the rest of her family was. He was confused by the question, glancing at her in the rearview mirror as he drove her home from school one day.

 

“What do you mean, Jo?” he asked with a small smile.

 

“This boy at school asked me and I didn’t know what to say. He said he has cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and whatever ‘second-cousins’ are?” she asked, staring out the backseat window.

 

“Families come in all shapes and sizes, kiddo. I feel like we’ve talked about this…”

 

“Yeah,” she said agreeing and turning to smile at him in his rearview mirror. “I guess I was just wondering about my mom’s family. What happened to them, Dad?”

 

His smile dropped as he looked deep in thought, not answering until he pulled into park in their garage.

 

“Well, your mom had a brother but he died before you were born. I don’t really know if she had many cousins or aunts or uncles…remember me telling you we didn’t get to know each other that long?” he asked as they both climbed out of the car. He reached his arm out to pull her close, smiling as the two walked into their house.

 

She remembers hugging him tight in return, laughing as his hands moved down to start tickling her once they got inside – the man knew all her spots, taking full advantage of that as she tried to escape him.

 

“What’s with all the questions? Huh? What, me and your Uncle Steve aren’t enough for ya?” he teased as he continued his assault. She squealed in laughter and continued trying to get away from his torturous hands.

 

“You are! Daddy…stoooooop,” she said between laughs, breathing heavily in happy exhaustion when he finally did stop.

 

He continued hugging her, kissing her cheek in lieu of tickling.

 

“Okayyyy,” she said still laughing, unable to detach the bear from the bear hug.

 

He finally released her, turning her around to face him as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

 

“I love you baby, and your Uncle Steve loves you, and your Nana and your mom loved you too. Never forget that, okay?” he asked, smiling back at her as she threw herself into his arms. He hugged her tight, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

 

A knock on her bedroom door brings her back to the present.

 

She’d spent the last half an hour crying in her bed. The first twenty five or so minutes were feeling sorry for herself – and angry at herself for even getting her hopes up – while the last few were remembering her Dad.

 

Which still brought tears to her eyes.

 

She didn’t respond to the knock, staying curled in on herself and only bringing the blankets over her head as she heard her bedroom door open.

 

She could tell by the dips on her bed that they were both here to talk to her. _Great_.

 

She could also tell by the lighter weight in front of her that Tony was sitting closest to her. She still kept the blanket over her head, not really in the mood to start whatever conversation they were planning.

 

“Joey?” she heard Tony ask as he rested his hand on the blanket over her hip.

 

“Yes?” she asked, still under the blanket.

 

“Can we talk, sweetheart?” he asked gently. Tony was always careful with his words, she appreciated that.

 

“Do we have to?” she still asked.

 

“I think so buttercup.” She smiled at that, also appreciating the fact that Tony was leading this conversation.

 

Didn’t stop her from groaning in complaint though, smiling when he gently pulled the covers back and smiled down at her. She squinted a little at him, giving her eyes a second to adjust to the light as he gently brushed some of the hair from her face.

 

She opted to remain quiet.

 

If they wanted to have a conversation then dammit they were going to start it – eternally grateful Tony eventually began.

 

“What are you most upset about, honeybun? The fact you have a living grandma you didn’t know about? Or that she wasn’t what you hoped she’d be?”

 

_Damn, Tony was really good_.

 

“We want to know how to help you, Joey, because whatever you’re struggling with inside…we’re here for you,” he reiterated, gently squeezing her hip.

 

She looked at him a moment longer, sadness taking over her knowing she couldn’t actually tell them.

 

What was she **most** upset about? She was upset that she was being this fucking selfish.

 

That she would ever want more than what she was blessed with – hearing her Dad remind her _no family was too small_. Tony had shitty parents, Steve had one shitty parent and not enough time with the good one.

 

And she was going to complain to them about wanting more than the two of them?

 

Like they hadn’t done everything in their power to make her feel welcome in their family? Into Tony’s rich-ass life?

 

And she was complaining about _not having enough_? Just cause she wanted a maternal figure right now?

 

No, she wouldn’t do that to them. She had plenty to be angry about tonight.

 

“I just…I don’t like that no one told me about her. Even if she is a bad person.” She saw him look away, presumably at Steve, neither speaking for a moment.

 

“I’m sorry Jo,” she heard Steve apologize, turning her head to see him. He sat cross-legged on the bed, hands resting on his lap as his watery blue eyes bored into hers. “I promised your dad I’d never talk about her.”

 

“Okay,” she began, shifting away from both of them and sitting up against the headboard. “Well…but…” she pulled her knees up to her chest, cursing her watery eyes and shaky voice, “but you’re my… _dad now_ and…” Before the crying could really start, she buried her face in her arms that she rested on top of her knees.

 

“Hey now,” she heard Tony say as he scooted over to sit closer to her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. When she accidentally leaned into it, she felt him shift further to wrap his arm around her shoulder – pulling the teen into a side hug as she stayed in a ball.

 

“Joey **you** get to decide who your family is; sometimes it’s by blood and sometimes it’s by those too deeply and madly in love with you to not get attached. Hell, I wouldn’t even be with Steve if it weren’t for you…” he teased with a smile. She snorted in laughter as she saw Steve cross his arms in offense.

 

“Oh please,” she said in disbelief.

 

“No, I’m serious. You think I’m actually attracted to this?” he said, pulling away and pointing dramatically at Steve – who was now glaring at the man.

 

“Please! He’s not actually my type, I just decided to keep him around cause it meant having you in my life,” she looked at Tony who was trying not to laugh aloud at Steve…who was still glaring at him.

 

“I mean,” Tony continued, making Joey think maybe she had a little bit of Tony too – as he continued digging himself deeper, “he’s kinda funny, you know? Smart-ish…” he teased at Steve, who was still just glaring at him.

 

“No, please, keep it up,” the blonde finally said.

 

“I mean, who’d be into a tall, muscular, beefy All-American, blonde haired blue-eyed, strong, sensitive, and incredible man with a heart of gold?” he finished sweetly, bringing a smile to Steve’s face.

 

“With the best…” Tony cried, dramatically fanning his face, “the BEST cock–”

 

“Dammit!” Joey cried, pulling away from a laughing brunette as Steve groaned in equal annoyance and sighed his husband’s name in disappointment.

 

“Seriously? You just had to ruin it, didn’t you?” Steve added.

 

“ **My point** is that you already have people in your life that love you, very much. Families come in all shapes and sizes, kiddo.” She couldn’t help smiling at that.

 

“Thanks, _Dad_.” Tony gave her a weird look at that, the teen suddenly realizing how that must’ve come across to him. She quickly reached a hand out and rested it on his arm.

 

“No, sorry that actually wasn’t sarcastic. Dad used to say the _exact same thing_ to me. So…apparently I can’t escape the phrase between fathers,” she said with a smile in reassurance. Tony looked like he actually might cry this time, before surprising her and throwing himself at her in a bear hug.

 

“Ack!” she squealed beneath him on the bed, which suddenly shifted as another weight was added on top of her.

 

“HEY!” she squawked as she tried to wiggle free, not exactly enjoying the two grown ass men dog-pile crushing her…but laughing nonetheless. 

 

“We love you baby girl, we’re sorry some people are too stupid to have that privilege,” Tony said as he tightened his hold on her.

 

“Love you Jo,” Steve added.

 

Okay…they weren’t _actually_ crushing her.

 

And maybe the group hug felt nice…

 

But then she remembered she didn’t really deserve their love right now, and gently shoved them off of her.

 

“This doesn’t have to change anything, okay? I mean I get it changes things, but we don’t have to let it? If that makes sense?” Tony offered kindly.

 

She shook her head in confusion and smiled a little when she heard him chuckle at that.

 

“I mean, yes, finding this out sucks. But we don’t have to even mention her again if you don’t want us to. And I’ll make sure you never have to hear from her again too. If that’s what you want,” he quickly clarified.

 

Her heart ached with all that’s happened today. She was too tired to continue playing like this woman was the real reason she was so upset.

 

“I’m sorry can we? Can I just take a nap?” she asked, turning to look at both men. They shared a look, like they didn’t want to leave her and wanted to stay to make her to talk about it. Tony eventually nodded at her, extracting himself from the bed while Steve stayed sitting a moment longer.

 

She avoided looking at him, knowing he could read her like a damn book.

 

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Steve asked quietly as Tony waited for him at the door. She looked at those blue eyes, only nodding in response – knowing if she opened her mouth she’d be completely honest with him – before she quickly looked away and lied back on her bed. She ignored the sigh she heard from Steve, but did smile a little as he tucked the blankets back around her.

 

She also groaned in jest when he kissed her cheek, smiling as she brought the blanket over her head in response. She kept smiling as she heard her dads chuckle and move to exit her bedroom – giving her some space for now.


	12. Chapter 12

Steve definitely should’ve called in to work the next day. He was beyond exhausted. He even tried going for an additional run this morning. But now he was mentally, emotionally **and** physically exhausted and his second cup of coffee wasn’t helping.

 

A knock on his door had him sitting up in attention, the door opening to reveal his boss.

 

“Commander, to what do I owe the honor?” Fury took a moment to close the door behind him, walking over to sit across from Steve’s desk.

 

“Captain, I’ll just cut to it. Rumor has it that Tiberius Stone is trying to get you fired. Lucky for you, you’ve got friends in high places,” he pointed to himself before continuing. “That and, you’re fairly good at your job.” Steve felt himself smiling despite the news.

 

“However,” he said more seriously, “should Stone be given the right ammunition…” Steve’s brows furrowed as he considered that.

 

“Tony’s been pretty good about behaving himself…”

 

“He’s not the one I’m worried about.” _Now Steve was really confused_ …

 

“Word is Stone is trying to get evidence of Joey drinking underage,” Fury said with a frown. The blonde felt himself go rigid in his chair, all of this information sinking in. “You know what those headlines would say, Steve. And I’m not so sure – given who this Stone guy apparently is – that even **I** can protect you. ‘Captain’s daughter getting an MIP’ is pretty fucking good ammunition to get you fired.”

 

“I understand,” Steve admitted quietly, keeping eye contact with the man.

 

“Look, as much as I hate to admit it, your husband does have… _a few_ …redeeming qualities. Including having the money to use the best lawyers to help. And as for Joey, just…tell her the situation and give her other avenues for teenage rebellion that won’t ruin your career.” Steve found himself smiling again.

 

“You have a lot of built up vacation days, Captain,” Fury said as he stood up to exit. Steve stood as well, reaching out for the extended hand to shake in farewell. “I suggest you use some.” Steve nodded at the man, exhaustion making him immediately agree with his suggestion as he gathered his things to leave.

 

“I’ll go tell my team,” Steve suggested as he followed the Commander out of his office.

 

“Rogers,” Fury called out before Steve could round the corner, “let me know if you need anything,” he said kindly, surprising the blonde.

 

Commander Fury was mostly pleasant, but wasn’t exactly a giddy or joyous man. He can count on his hand the number of times he’s heard him laugh. So his genuine act of kindness was a little surprising, but not unwelcome. It actually squashed a little of the worry in his gut.

 

He had people in his corner, he needed to remember that.

 

He nodded back to the man with a smile before turning away to update his team.

 

Natasha and Clint were on a call, but Sam and the newest hire Thor were sitting on the couch. It was legally his first name and that alone almost got him the job. Well, that, and the fact that he was like an Australian god.

 

**He also came highly recommended from his previous station.**

 

It just didn’t hurt that he had an awesome Australian accent to go along with his tall muscular frame.

 

He literally shakes his head to concentrate, and remind himself to behave (even though, for the record, Tony had been the one to approve of that particular hall pass…so long as it was filmed. By Tony. Before he joined them. The bastard said this over lunch at their favorite restaurant, which earned a quick kick under the table from the blonde. He had to go to work immediately after – )

 

– which he should be focusing on! Considering the two men had turned to him and were currently trying to get his attention.

 

“Cap? Everything alright?” Sam asked with concern.

 

“No,” Steve answered honestly. “But I’m taking the rest of the day off to make it alright. Sam you’re my second in command. Thor, don’t let the power go to his head,” he said with a wink and laughed along with the taller man. Sam glared at the blondes but didn’t say anything in his defense, which was very unlike the man who always had a comeback.

 

Fuck Steve must’ve looked more exhausted than he thought.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He decided to wait until he had put Peter to bed to discuss anything with Joey. His little man had asked the blonde to put him to bed with his best puppy eyes over dinner, which of course had the man immediately conceding. Tony offered to do the dishes while Joey went to finish an essay she was working on.

 

The blonde smiled at the thought of his family, especially at the wiggle worm on his lap who was purposefully making it more difficult to dress him in pajamas – typically to make his time with his Papa last longer. Which Steve didn’t necessarily mind.

 

“Come on, you picked out these pj’s!” he said as he added a little rib-tickling for good measure. The boy finally relented, giggling still as he ‘played dead’ while Steve finally got his pajamas on – further being unhelpful.

 

“Oh you are just like your Daddy,” Steve said as he kissed the boy loudly on the cheek before gently placing him back on his feet. The boy giggled some more before standing in front of the man and doing his best Tony impression – which was pretty damn good.

 

His one eyebrow raised smirk that he often saw Peter doing on his own.

 

He couldn’t help but laugh at his adorable son. “Yup, just like him. Now, I want you to pick **one** book tonight – no none of that pouty lip – I’ll read you as many books as you want tomorrow but Papa’s really tired tonight, okay?” he asked hopefully.

 

“Fine,” Peter said with a sigh as he went to grab one of his little critter books.

 

_Well, there was certainly one major difference between the two…Peter was by far better behaved than Tony._

 

After he had tucked Peter in tight and finished reading the story, he checked to see the boy was fast asleep. It gave him the strength to go speak with Joey and end this day as soon as possible, after adding a quick kiss to the boy’s forehead in goodnight.

 

She welcomed him in when he knocked on her door, the teen sitting at her desk printing what the blonde assumed to be her finished essay.

 

“Sup?” she asked without looking at him as she stacked the papers evenly and started reading over the pages.

 

“Joey, can you put that down for a second?” he asked, still standing near the door. She looked up at him skeptically, placing the paper down as she turned her attention to him.

 

“You know how I feel about you drinking…”

 

“Steve I promise I haven’t had any alcohol!”

 

“Yes, I know, I believe you,” he reassured her as she still looked warily at him. “I just wanted to run something by you…something about my job.” This did not help her look of worry, the blonde waving his hands to try to clarify himself.

 

“Just…stay away from it until you’re of age. There’s this man…he’s trying to ruin my career. And my boss thinks he’s trying to get a scandalous pap picture of you drinking. Which means he knows about it, but doesn’t have any evidence to back it up. And if he did…well it doesn’t bode well on my leadership skills if I can’t get my own kid to obey the laws.”

 

When he finished, he stood quietly a moment later, letting her take in what all he had said.

 

“Does this have anything to do with one of Tony’s gross exes?” she asked carefully. Now it was Steve’s turn to look confused, unsure how she found out about that situation. But then again, kids found things out easily from social media…

 

“The worst of them,” Steve confirmed aloud, smiling when she gave a small smile in return. “Just, promise me Joey. Especially right now, you’ll lie under the radar and you know…behave?” he added with a wink to soften it. It seemed to work, as the teen rolled her eyes fondly at the man.

 

“Both Dads drank at my age,” she pointed out with a sly smile.

 

“You’ve used that argument before, kiddo.”

 

“Well…how do you expect me to lay low when people at school want to start fights?”

 

“I expect you to try your best,” Steve added after taking a step closer to his girl. “For me?” She rolled her eyes again before agreeing with a ‘fine.’ The blonde leaned down to kiss her temple before standing up and walking to the door.

 

“Love you,” he said, pausing at the door until she returned with “love you too.”

 

He went to check the kitchen for his husband, but frowned when he didn’t find him there. Which meant he was probably in his lab. The blonde sighed before heading to their bedroom to finally crash.

 

When he opened the door, Tony was waiting in bed for him. He was looking over his tablet and smiled at the man when he entered the room.

 

“I thought you had to work,” Steve said as he moved to take off his pants. He left his t-shirt and boxers on before he made his way over to his love, climbing in bed next to him.

 

“Yeah well, you’re more important than work. And I thought you could use a cuddle bug right now,” the brunette said as he put his tablet on the nightstand to turn to the blonde. Steve, for once in immediate agreement with his husband’s plans, curled up behind the man to spoon him. His big arms wrapped around the smaller man’s body like an octopus.

 

“You’re such a genius. Promise me you’ll use your powers for good and not for evil?” Steve asked as he settled the two more comfortably on the bed. He inhaled the scent of his husband’s shampoo, a little disappointed he had missed the chance to shower with him.

 

The brunette of course had to ruin the sweet moment for him, asking; “¿porque no los dos?”

 

Steve found himself too exhausted to try and reprimand him, simply humming in response as he fell into a peaceful slumber wrapped around the love of his life.


	13. Chapter 13

“Daddy?” Peter asked from the backseat of Tony’s car. The boy wasn’t as vocal as he usually was, so Tony was glad he finally spoke up half-way home from school.

 

“Yes baby?”

 

“Am I…am I spoiled?” Tony looked in the rearview mirror, surprised to see his boy was looking out the window with his question.

 

“Who told you that, Pete?”

 

“Am I spoiled?” he asked again, ignoring his father’s question.

 

“No, Peter, you’re not spoiled. Did someone at school tell you that?” he asked trying to figure out where this came from.

 

When Peter didn’t respond, Tony stole another look in the rearview mirror and frowned at the sight. Pete looked on the verge of tears.

 

“Petey-pie, what happened at school? Did some little punk tell you that you’re spoiled? Cause you’re not. Just because your daddy makes a lot of money doesn’t mean you’re some spoiled little brat. Your mom and pop both make you do chores, you don’t have an allowance and you don’t get every toy you want, do you?” He checked the mirror again, glad to see Peter shake his head no and finally look up at Tony.

 

They both remained silent the last few minutes of their ride as Tony thought more about what was bothering his boy.

 

After he parked, the two got out before Tony gently grabbed his son’s shoulders.

 

“Peter do you know what ‘privileged’ means?” he asked the boy. Peter shook his head with confused eyes.

 

“Privileged means you have certain advantages in life. Like having a rich daddy, or still having both your parents, or even having an extra parent who loves you just as much as us. So yes, you’re privileged, but you’re not spoiled. Spoiled means you get whatever you want in life. Do you get everything you ask for?” he waited for Peter to shake his head again, brows furrowing as the boy took in his dad’s words.

 

“No, you don’t. Because your mommy and I decided a long time ago we wouldn’t spoil you. Spoiled boys don’t help their Papa clean up in the kitchen without being asked. They don’t ask their Daddy to donate some of their toys to the boys and girls in the hospital. Or only ask for animal shelter donations for their birthday. Spoiled little boys are mean and they don’t appreciate what they have in life. That’s not you baby. You are the sweetest, kindest and most good boy I know.”

 

He brought his hand to stroke the boy’s cheek, glad to see his little shoulder’s lax a little at his father’s words. Peter looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

 

“I’d know if you were a spoiled brat, baby. Cause **I** was a spoiled brat, and trust me – you are a much better kid than I was.” His smile grew when Peter actually giggled at that.

 

“Come on, I think Papa has a snack waiting for us,” he said, ruffling those adorable brown curls as he walked the two to the elevator.

 

Sure enough, Steve was in the kitchen dipping some strawberries in melted chocolate. Tony tried to behave himself when he saw the blonde lick some chocolate off his fingers as he turned to greet the two.

 

“Hey Petey! Wanna help me dip some strawberries?” he asked. When Peter smiled and walked over without his usual enthusiasm, Steve looked at Tony in concern. He mouthed _later_ to his husband while Peter grabbed a chair to stand on. The blonde nodded in response, putting a smile on his face as he turned his attention back to Peter.

 

Tony took off his suit jacket as they heard the elevators ding. A few seconds later, Joey joined them in the kitchen. She looked a little angry but softened her face when she saw Tony looking at her. He raised a brow at her, reaching an arm out to give her a hug in greeting. She easily melted into his embrace, the man smiling and planting a kiss on her head.

 

When she pulled away, she gave him a look that confused the genius before she turned to the other two.

 

“Hey Peter! How was your day at school?” she asked, moving to the boy before Tony could warn her.

 

“Okay,” he heard his boy answer, his focus on helping his Papa make them all a snack.

 

“That’s not what I heard,” she said as she hugged him from behind. “I heard about some snot nosed brat picking on my sweet baby brother. Which is not ‘okay,’ Peter Pan.” Steve shot Tony another confused look, though this one had a little ire behind it at hearing the news their boy had been bullied.

 

“Do you know how great you are? Like, seriously? Most five year olds are horrible and loud little monsters, but you?” she said as she added kisses on top of his head. “You are so sweet, and kind, and generous – which is the opposite of spoiled. You could’ve been a spoiled brat, in fact given who your Daddy is…you **should have been.** ” She turned to throw a wink at the brunette who was looking back at her in amazement before continuing.

 

“But you’re not. You’re amazing, Peter. You’re the best little brother I could’ve ever asked for,” she finished as she dug her fingers into the boy’s ribs, laughing along with him.

 

He and his husband shared a look, both feeling an incredible amount of love for their kids – but especially for their teen at this moment. They turned back to look at the two, smiling as Joey continued her onslaught with the boy now over her shoulder. She paused in her assault for a moment, moving the boy to rest on her hips.

 

“You are spoiled in one thing, though. If I’m being honest,” she said a little more seriously while the three guys looked confused at her. “You’re spoiled in hugs!” she said with a laugh before hugging him tightly and swinging them around. The boy giggled in response before Steve eventually asked them not to get too dizzy spinning.

 

Joey paused, still hugging him close as she regained her balance. “And there’s nothing wrong with being spoiled in hugs. It just means you’re adorable and loved. So anyone that tries to make fun of you for being spoiled? They’re just jealous they don’t get as many hugs as you, Peteroo,” she finished with a loud kiss to his cheek. He giggled again and tried to escape.

 

“Okay?” she asked between planting kisses all over his face, one of her hands supporting the back of his head to keep him in place.

 

“Okay!” Peter choked out between laughs. She stopped her onslaught and gently placed the boy down.

 

“Okay?” she asked again, brows raised and hands on her hips.

 

“Okay…” he said in agreement, a small smile and pink blush on his adorable face.

 

“Good, glad that’s settled,” Joey said before turning to grab a few of the strawberries already dipped and popping one in her mouth.

 

“How did you even hear about that Jo?” Tony asked, still amazed.

 

She simply shrugged her shoulders in response, still chewing the snack in her mouth.

 

“I’ve got my sources,” she said after swallowing.

 

“Did she just out parent us?” the brunette asked his husband in confirmation, who only smiled and nodded in agreement.

 

“I can’t tell if that’s impressive or terrifying,” Steve said in confusion, moving to give their boy an added hug in comfort.

 

“¿Porque no los dos?” she asked with a wink, popping another strawberry in her mouth before exiting out of the kitchen. The blonde turned to look at Tony with a brow raised.

 

“Don’t look at me,” Tony said with his hands raised in surrender. “You’re the one who shares the same genes as her.” Steve rolled his eyes at his husband as Tony walked over to his two boys, planting a kiss on Peter’s cheek before moving to kiss Steve’s lips. The blonde wrapped an arm around the genius’ waist in response, the two kissing again until they heard their five year old complain adorably.


	14. Chapter 14

FLASHBACK

 

The more words this girl learned, the harder it was to even try to argue with her. And when you’re an equally stubborn teenage male, it becomes a competition. Granted, it’s against a fourteen month old, but still.

 

“No, Steeb. Lissen, lissen,” she said waving her hands at him.

 

“You cannot go naked to the grocery store. You have to wear clothes,” he said for the thousandth time, holding out the cute dress he’d picked out for her.

 

_Seriously! It’s one piece of fabric!_

 

“No Steeb, lissen. I don’ clos, no clos,” she babbled as she pushed the outfit away from her.

 

“Yes clothes! Unless you just want to stay here…”

 

“No, Steeb lissen! Lissen. I _go_ , no clos,” she said, clapping her hands together with the last four words. He’d never seen so much attitude in such a small being.

 

“Well, then we’re staying here,” he said, putting the dress down and crossing his arms over his broad chest.

 

This baby – who, Steve was starting to think would grow up to be a nudist, as she stood naked in front of the tall man – then proceeded to cross her arms over her tiny chest.

 

Her stance only lasted another second, before her arms waved frantically again; further explaining herself to Steve.

 

“No, Steeb? Steeb. Lisssssen.”

 

“I’m done listening Joey,” he said in exhaustion as he rolled his eyes and started walking to her changing table to grab a diaper. “And you are putting on this diaper, young lady.” She frowned but didn’t move to try and out run him ~~again~~

 

He gently lifted her up, placing a kiss on her cheek before laying her out on the carpet. She smiled back at him, lifting her legs up to make the process quicker. When he finished, he gently grabbed her and stood the two up, resting her on his hip after another quick kiss to her cheek.

 

She rubbed her eyes, obviously still upset.

 

“I wan’ go, Seeb,” she said, giving him her best puppy eyes.

 

He almost caved then and there, before remembering Bucky’s lecture about ‘how to dress his daughter who would be seen in public.’

 

…there may have been an incident where she and Steve were out…and he didn’t want to fight her anymore so he let her just wear a diaper to the farmers market. And she took it off. And ran away from Steve. And it was surprisingly difficult to convince a police officer that the naked toddler screaming bloody murder about wanting to stay naked – was in fact the teenager’s niece – and also he wasn’t some pervert.

 

Long story short, Bucky was pretty furious and now she has to be clothed whenever she’s out with him.

 

“You gotta put clothes on, baby,” he said as she started wobbling her bottom lip. “What if you pick out what you’re wearing, how about that?” he suggested as he began walking them in the direction of her dresser.

 

“O’tay,” she relented, rubbing her eye again with her tiny fist.

 

After twenty long minutes, she picked out a striped purple t-shirt with red and orange overalls.

 

And black dress shoes.

 

And a tiara.

 

And insisted on bringing her stuffed lion with them.

 

Whatever, she was clothed and not screaming her normal demands to ‘be nakey!’

 

Bucky had called to tell him he’d meet them at the store to help them with the groceries, since he had a truck.

 

It was a short walk to the store, but by the time she was finally dressed and had also insisted on walking most of the way, they found Buck with a mostly full basket of groceries.

 

“Well well well, look at you!” Bucky said with a chuckle at the sight of his ridiculously dressed toddler.

 

“Daddy!” she said as she ran to him, almost dropping Simba in the process, before she jumped into his arms.

 

“Hey baby!” he said, pulling her into a hug and giving her a few kisses in greeting. Steve walked up to them and inspected the cart, frowning at not seeing his favorite cereal.

 

“Where’s the Frosted Flakes?” he asked his brother. The man rolled his eyes at him, putting Joey in the kid’s seat before pushing the cart along.

 

“Next aisle, kiddo,” Buck teased as walked past Steve. The teen turned to walk alongside him, making faces at his niece.

 

Bucky frowned when he realized why she was laughing, and playfully shoved his brother as they turned down the cereal aisle. 

 

“Keep that face up and it’ll freeze that way,” Bucky sneered in jest.

 

“Alright then, **mom** …” Steve teased back, interrupted by a group of guys in front of them.

 

“I thought Stevie here was the mom,” one of them jeered.

 

“Naw man, he’s the auntie,” another of them piped in, causing an eruption of laughter among the teens.

 

“There somethin’ wrong with being a woman?” Bucky growled, taking a step in front of his young daughter. His brother had a few inches on the tallest among them.

 

“Nah, no of course not,” the shortest one clarified. “We just mean cause he’s a fairy.”

 

Steve dated girls. They didn’t last long…but he was a teenager. And he was too busy to date anyone for very long, anyway. Doesn’t mean he’s gay.

 

His thoughts are interrupted by his larger, bulkier brother.

 

“There’s somethin’ wrong with being gay?” he said just as angrily. Steve stole a glance at Joey, rolling his eyes fondly to see she was just reaching for the cookies in the basket – not paying the men any mind.

 

The group of boys were speechless; obviously homophobic but unsure how to respond to a man much bigger than them. And protecting his child.

 

“But…you’re not a faggot?” the short one tried to point out.

 

“I’m not a woman either, dipshit. Doesn’t mean I won’t stand up for them against scrawny little assholes like you. I suggest you and the rest of your fuckboy band, get the fuck out of here,” he finished in almost a whisper.

 

They must’ve heard him, because they all turned on their heels and pushed past each other to leave the store.

 

Steve looked back at his niece, laughing at seeing she had figured out how to open the package of cookies and was covered in chocolate and crumbs. _Yup, she’d eaten about a quarter of the bag..._

 

Bucky followed Steve’s line of sight and laughed as well, shaking his head fondly as he went to take the cookies away from her.

 

Steve distracted her with her stuffed lion while Bucky put the cookies away and grabbed a wet wipe to clean her face.

 

“I meant it Steve,” his brother said without looking at him.

 

“That you’d kick their asses? Yeah, I would’ve loved to have seen it,” Steve said with a smile as Joey hugged Simba close.

 

“No little bro,” Bucky began more seriously, causing Steve to suddenly look up at him.

 

And prayed this wasn’t what he thought it was.

 

“I meant it about…standing up, for them.” He paused, considering his words before shaking his head with a smile. “Women and gays deserve respect, I’d better see you do the same. Especially with your growth spurt lately, soon you’ll be taller than me and can probably kick my ass. You won’t, of course, but you’ll try.”

 

Steve snorted in laughter, covering his mouth with his hand when a passing couple gave him a look in disapproval.

 

“I’ve started boxing too, Buck. Give me a few more months and I’ll happily kick your ass,” Steve whispered as he pulled the cart along with him, eyes falling on his cereal.

 

And giving himself a moment to take a breath.

 

Bucky didn’t know…

 

_…not that there was anything to know! Of course…_


	15. Chapter 15

She woke up groggy early one morning, feeling some kind of pain coming from her left hand. She slowly brought it up to her face to inspect it, immediately panicking when she saw blood trickling down on her. She sat up, reaching her other hand for her glasses as she tried to register what the actual fuck was happening.

 

When she could finally see clearly, she accidentally let out a panic yell.

 

But to be fair, there were pieces of broken glass lodged in her skin.

 

She quickly looked around, frowning when she found the source of the injury behind her. Above her headboard there used to hang a picture of her and her Dad. It was missing – most likely falling behind her bed. It left evidence behind with a slight indenture in the wall from the force of swinging her arm back.

 

She had a seizure last night.

 

Before she could tend to the wound – or come out of shock enough to do so – her bedroom door swung open, revealing a panic-stricken blonde. The brunette stumbled in after him, both sporting impressive bed-head, before Steve instantly appeared at her bedside.

 

“Oh my god, Joey what happened?” he asked as he gently inspected the wound. Her brain was still fuzzy, the real shock of all this freezing her in place. She hadn’t missed a day of meds since her last seizure…

 

“Jo, hey can you hear me?” Steve asked with concern as he pulled the blankets off her. She nodded to him in response, unable to articulate anything else. “Alright come on kiddo,” she heard him say as strong arms brought her out bed and into a solid chest. Her head lolled against his shoulder, barely conscious as she suddenly had to squint from the bright lights.

 

She was in the bathroom, brain registering the coolness of the counter top against her legs when he set her down. Her head rested against the mirror as she blinked and watched Steve grab her hand to run under the faucet in the sink. She felt Tony pull her against his chest to keep her steady, holding her arm out for Steve to tend to the wound.

 

She didn’t mean to flinch, but the glass removal and thorough cleaning **hurt.** She couldn’t voice this – still feeling like she was limp from exhaustion – as she felt Tony gripping her harder to help Steve finish. She heard mumbles as one of them spoke in a soothing tone. The pain in her hand faded magically as she felt herself relax again in his embrace. So much so that she lost the fight against consciousness and fell back asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

When she woke, the first thing she recognized was that she wasn’t in bed. She was sideways on the couch, head lying on a pillow on someone’s lap. Blinking eyes helped her recognize Steve’s legs, the blonde moving his hand to card through her hair after she made her consciousness known.

 

“Joey? Hey sweetie, are you awake?” he asked quietly. She nodded sleepily as she pulled her left hand out to inspect it.

 

It didn’t hurt anymore and was wrapped in a white bandage…but she was still upset she had not only had a seizure while she slept and was **medicated** , but she had broken the picture of her and her Dad. Steve gently grabbed her hand to also inspect it, bringing it up to look closer while she stayed comfortably laid on his lap.

 

“Looks okay, I can change the bandages in a bit if you’d like,” he offered gently giving her hand back. She simply made herself more comfortable, not wanting to move from the spot. He started petting her head again as she noticed Tony wasn’t with them. Then she realized this should’ve been a school day, also realizing Steve must’ve called in to stay with her.

 

The thought made her feel guilty, even though she didn’t do anything wrong.

 

“I haven’t missed any meds,” she said aloud, mostly to convince herself.

 

“Yeah, I checked and saw that,” Steve said, still petting her hair.

 

It reminded her of when she was little and sick and her Dad would stay home to make her feel better. She always ended up with her head in his lap while he stroked her hair as they watched cartoons together. Poor Steve, one time her Dad had to work so he stayed with her. She was so sick, she was throwing up everywhere and had horrible diarrhea. The memory made her laugh as she felt Steve stop petting her for a moment.

 

“What are you thinking about?” he asked with a smile in his voice. She shifted onto her back to see his face, biting her lip to keep from laughing again.

 

“Remember when I was so sick I was firing from both ends?” He immediately grimaced, hands going up to his face as he groaned at the memory. She didn’t stop the laughter this time, enjoying the way he pouted at her for it.

 

“Oh god that was literally the worst day of my life. I told Buck that I had to stay away from you guys for three months to get over it!”

 

“I remember,” she said with another laugh.

 

“You know I didn’t make it the whole three months, right?” he asked her as she looked confused back up at him. She was six at the time, so however long it took to see her uncle again was basically a lifetime…hearing he didn’t make it the three months was new.

 

“Did Dad call you crying again?” she asked with a laugh, often listening in on those calls when her Dad was too exhausted and needed Uncle Steve to come to the rescue. She ran her uninjured hand over her face in exhaustion.

 

_Fuck, this one took a lot out of her._

 

“No,” he smiled and poked her in the side. “I missed you too much, only made it five weeks,” he said, cheeks turning a little pink at the confession. She felt herself blush a little as well, hating herself a little for ever doubting how much he loved her. She instinctually turned to curl further into him, preparing herself to ask him what’s been bothering her.

 

“Pop?” she asked, knowing he damn well deserved it and she keeps forgetting to try it. He froze a little at that, hand moving to gently grip her shoulder. “What happened to me?” she asked, refusing to look at him as she felt tears prickling her eyes.

 

Her first seizure happened in her sleep when she was only ten years old. She didn’t know what it was, just that she woke up exhausted and on the floor next to her bed. The second time she had a seizure, it was on the couch while her Dad was in the bathroom. They were having a Lord of the Rings marathon. He told her when he came back and saw her shaking on the floor, he ‘damn near pissed himself’ after just using the restroom.

 

After too many medical tests to count, the doctor told her and her dad she had epilepsy. A disorder with no known cure that made her helpless in her own body; something that she would literally be stuck with for her **entire life**.

 

They assured her the medication – if taken on time daily – would prevent her from seizing again. **So what the actual fuck?**

 

“I don’t know,” Steve finally answered, snapping her from her thoughts. “But I called your neurologist and we’re seeing her this afternoon. Happy will pick up your school work and they already gave you an excused absence for the day. All you need to worry about right now is waking up, okay?” he asked as he brushed some of her long hair behind her ear. She hummed in response, trying to decide whether she’d like him to move or not. Her stomach ultimately made the decision for her.

 

“Know what would help me wake up?” she asked as she moved to sit up. It took her a second, her muscles slowly working again but still struggling to do a simple crunch. She smiled as she heard Steve laugh at her, using his hand to help her up. She mock glared at him as she got her bearings, the bastard just smiling at her while waiting for her to continue.

 

“Breakfast,” she finally answered as she stretched her arms out.

 

“Anything in particular?” Steve asked as he stood up and also stretched.

 

“Pancakes?” she asked. Steve smiled and opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

 

“Come on, you can think bigger than that!” Tony suggested as he suddenly joined them in the living room. He was in his standard tank and sweats, oil smudge on his face from being in his lab.

 

“How about chocolate chip pancakes? With whip cream? AND BACON?” he asked with the same excitement you’d see from their favorite five year old.

 

_So he was here?_ she thought to herself. She looked away from the two of them, feeling her eyes get misty at the thought.

 

Again, how fucking selfish was she to want a mom when these two literally cleared their entire day to stay with her? She had already considered the possibility of having the ‘c’ word or at the very least a tumor…and knew she would just be a mess physically and emotionally today.

 

So the small act of Tony staying here with her…well fuck it brought tears to her eyes.

 

If anyone asked, she would blame it on epilepsy.

 

She did suddenly find herself laughing, however, when she heard Steve chastise his husband for the unhealthy proposal.

 

“This is not about you and your obsession with clogging your arteries, Tony! If she just wants pancakes then I’ll make her pancakes,” the blonde said with his arms crossed and throwing a glare at his husband. Joey wiped her tears away as she laughed a little at them, grateful for the distraction.

 

“You don’t know that!” Tony countered as he made his way to sit by her. She checked to make sure he had washed his hands before freely wrapping her arms around him.

 

“Actually Pop, what Dad said sounds amazing,” she said – feeling like Tony deserved one too – as she further curled up in his embrace. She had her eyes closed, so she couldn’t see the two men absolutely beaming at each other. She felt Tony practically pull her on his lap as she simply snuggled up further into his embrace.

 

She decided she’d take her time getting up.


	16. Chapter 16

As he was holding her, still smiling minutes later after hearing her call him ‘dad’, he remembered something he wanted to show her.

 

“Hey, I got something for you,” the brunette said as he used one hand to reach behind the couch on the back table.

 

When she had passed out in his arms in her bathroom, Tony felt a mixed rush of emotions. While he was thrilled to get to hold the teen close like this, the circumstances weren’t…the preferred method. After Steve cleaned the wound, he instinctually pulled her into his arms, following the blonde into the living room where his husband almost had a full meltdown.

 

He held her on his lap after he moved to sit on the couch, opting to deal with all of this sitting down. It was like six in the morning…ungodly time to be awake and have to manage calming his hysterical husband down. They called her neurologist and left her a voicemail, then called the emergency nurse hotline to determine if they should take her to the hospital.

 

Steve actual made all the phone calls, able to get his shit together when he had actual tasks to perform. Tony enjoyed just holding Joey, who seemed to just be sleeping peacefully. When Steve finally calmed down from thinking she was dying from cancer, he asked to sit there and hold her. Which worked for Tony, who saw an opportunity to fix something that was broken – planning on giving it to her later.

 

Later was now as he handed her a brand new picture frame with the photo of her and Bucky. She gingerly took it from him, Tony unable to see her expression as her head hung in response, long hair covering her face. He could see her fingers gently trace over the picture before a tear drop splashed on the glass. She turned to him suddenly, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

 

“Thank you,” she said as she gently placed the picture aside to throw herself in his arms. He accepted gratefully, feeling his own eyes get misty when she emphasized, “ _thank you, dad_.”

 

Steve brought them breakfast, which the brunette noted had chocolate syrup smiley faces with whip cream and sprinkles on the pancakes. He smiled brightly and thanked his husband after Joey shifted to sit next to him. He also noticed his husband had a little whip cream on his pancakes, though there was mostly fresh fruit on his plate.

 

They shared a glance and smiled at each other, both overwhelmed but currently at peace with all of this. They’d find out in a few hours what was actually going on.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The three sat in Dr. Carmichael’s office as she looked over the test results, Joey sitting in between the two men across from her.

 

“Well, the good news is that this is a simple fix…”

 

“And the bad news?” Joey asked quickly. The woman smiled at her before sitting forward in her chair to address the teen.

 

“You’ll have to have an increase in your dosage, which I know you’re not a fan of.”

 

“Wait…that’s it?” Steve asked amazed.

 

“That’s it,” Dr. Carmichael reassured with a smile. “Bodies get used to medicines over time, we just have to up the dosage and you’ll be right as rain.” Tony turned to his husband who shared a look of relief with him.

 

“Well… _not exactly_ Susie Q…” Joey growled angrily. Steve frowned and turned to their daughter.

 

“Hey, I think you owe _Dr. Carmichael_ an apology.”

 

“It’s alright, I’ve told her before she can call me Susie,” the older woman tried to intercede.

 

“Doesn’t excuse the attitude,” he reiterated to the teen.

 

“Steve…” Tony began.

 

“I’m sorry, should I be putting on a song and dance for this?” she snapped back at him.

 

“Hey, upping your dosage is a hell of a lot better than _cancer_.”

 

“Yeah, well epilepsy is still a debilitating disease, _Steven_ ,” she said before turning to look down at her lap. “And I have it for life, except now I know every few years a seizure will overpower the medicine and I’ll need to reup the dosage,” here she stood up and in doing so knocked her chair back a few feet. 

 

“Except next time I won’t be safely in bed when it happens,” she said as she started pacing the room. “I’ll be walking the street, or riding my bike, or maybe it happens when I’m driving and die at the wheel,” she finished with a crack in her voice.

 

Tony sat there as he watched his husband stand up to apologize to her. She surprisingly walked into his embrace, the man hugging her tight as she released a few more cries. He whispered words of reassurance as Tony and the neurologist shared a knowing look of pain for this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you catch my Rugrats reference? For my fellow 90s babies


	17. Chapter 17

_She’s in the backseat of her dad’s truck when the crash happens. She has dreamed this before, even though she was with Steve when it actually happened. She’s had many dreams where she is in the backseat and watches when the other car collides into the driver’s side._

_But this time…there was someone in the passenger seat._

_Steve._

_She calls out to them but her voice is gone, unable to warn either of them as the bright lights of the other car quickly approached them. It happens in slow motion as their bodies get thrown this way and that. Glass shatters around them as she hears the sound of a neck snapping. Metal crushing. Blood spurting as she continues with her empty screams._

_She’s lost him._

_She’s lost both of them._

_But she lives, frozen in place as she tries to move her body to get to them._

_But she can’t._

_She tries, tries so hard to call out, reach out, something._

_But nothing happens. And she knows she’s lost both of them._

She wakes up with a start, body drenched in sweat as unwanted tears spilled down her cheeks. She can’t control her breathing, which is rapid even though she feels like a car is resting on her chest. She throws the blankets back, not helping her feeling of suffocation as she throws her legs over the side. Her breath continues to get away from her, chest heaving as she does her best to control her hyperventilation.

 

Joey wraps her arms around herself, attempting to stop the ventilation by just holding her breath – which is not one of her best ideas. It kind of does the job, though, even if she feels incredibly light headed after doing so. She takes a few minutes to calm down, giving up on trying to stop the onslaught of hot tears continuing to pour out of her eyes.

 

She squints at the clock, brain slowly registering that it was only five in the morning…which meant Steve was still at work. Which did not help put her mind at ease; the thought of losing him making the bolder in her stomach drop.

 

She’s almost eighteen. Way too old to still be having nightmares. Especially when she has a memory of something she wasn’t even present for. But here she was, wishing her Pop was home so she could curl up in bed with him – knowing for sure he was safe and alive.

 

She eventually came to terms that her Dad was gone. Didn’t necessarily make it hurt any less, of course. But the nightmare of losing both at the same time?

 

She literally shudders at the thought, what would’ve happened if she’d lost both? She would’ve ended up in foster care. No one would want to adopt an epileptic twelve year old. And she’s heard enough stories from an old classmate of hers in foster care that was only in her school for about a month. The horrors some of those kids go through…

 

She snaps out of her depressive thoughts when she hears footsteps in the hallway. Maybe…maybe he came home early. She pulls herself off the bed and walks slowly to her door. Opening the door, she peaks out into the hall and frowns when she sees nothing.

 

After a moment of hesitation, she quietly makes her way to her parents’ bedroom. Her tears are still free-flowing as she slowly puts one foot in front of the other, feeling numb all over. When she reaches her destination, she finds herself freezing again.

 

Her fist was raised to knock, but she can’t make herself do it.

 

A voice inside reminds her that _she’s too old for this._

_Adults don’t crawl into their parent’s beds after a bad dream_.

 

“Joey?” came a soft voice that startled the teen. She turned to see Tony standing a few feet away in the hall, face frowning and arms crossed. He must’ve been unable to sleep as well, as he was yawning in his pajamas.

 

“Sorry, I…” a hiccup interrupted her speech as she did her best to hide it. She blinked away some tears as she saw Tony approach her. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder before she finally looked up at him.

 

“Bad dream?” he asked with a kind smile. She nodded in response as he pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms around the man that had been nothing but kind to her since they day they met. His love and comfort gave her the courage to confess her fear to him.

 

“I dreamt I lost both of them, Steve was in the car with Dad when…when…” she stopped, choking back tears as she buried her face in his chest. He shushed her gently and ran his hand up and down her back.

 

“He’ll be home soon, sweetheart. I talked to him about half an hour ago, I promise he’s okay,” he said in assurance as he comforted her. “In the meantime, do you wanna keep me company till he comes home?”

 

She pulled away at that, frowning at him even when he smiled back at her.

 

“No…sorry. I’m way too old to be doing this,” she said even as he opened the door invitingly. He smirked and even rolled his eyes at her.

 

“You are not too old for this, but I understand if you’d rather be a big teenager who doesn’t need some comfort after seeing a traumatic event. Even if it was from a bad dream,” he said before turning to walk into his room, leaving the door wide open.

 

She watched him walk to his bed as she stood there staring.

 

Tony had always been straight forward with her, earning her trust very early on. Maybe he really meant that.

 

_He was the one to invite her in to wait for Steve to come home, after all._

 

He also knew it was the only thing that would reassure her, actually seeing the man in person. So she followed him, ignoring the voice in her head as she crawled onto the bed next to him. She sat on top of the covers, legs crossed in a small way of defiance of getting actual comfort from him.

 

He didn’t comment on that, just tucked himself under the blanket to make himself comfortable as he continued smiling at her.

 

“If you can’t sleep, I can play a movie or something. Or we can talk, or just sit here quietly,” he offered as she began playing with the covers. She thought about his offer as she sat silently, before shooting a smile at him. When they heard footsteps walking down the hall, he raised his brows at her and grinned at the teen – who held her breath as they both looked at the door.

 

And then Steve entered, eyes furrowed at the sight before him. He was in his uniform, one hand on the handle as he slowly shut the door behind him.

 

“Hey…what are you two doing up?” he asked as he made his way over to the bed. When he got close enough to her, she turned to wrap her arms around his middle.

 

“Woah,” she heard him say before he returned the hug. “What’s up Jo? Bad dream?” he asked her quietly. She only cried at that, tightening her hold on him.

 

“Um…Tony, wanna help me out here?” Steve asked quietly with a hint of desperation.

 

“She had a nightmare, apparently you **and** Bucky were in the car during the crash…” she heard Tony say.

 

“Oh, honey,” he said as he tightened his hold on her. “I’m okay, It was just a bad dream. I’m alive and well, I promise I’m not going anywhere, okay? **We’re** not going anywhere… though your other dad could use more sleep and less caffeine…” he said pointedly, getting a small giggle from the teen and a scoff from his husband.

 

“But neither of us are going anywhere, okay? We’re right here,” he finished quietly after planting another kiss on her head. He held her for a few more minutes as the three sat in comfortable silence.

 

“Hey, I need to change out of this uniform, how about you curl up with us tonight, huh?” he asked as he gently extracted himself from her.

 

Finally able to see him, she looked up and smiled at her Pop. He smiled back at her before making his way around to bed to give Tony a quick kiss in greeting. She watched him and shook her head fondly at the two. She continued watching him as he went to their closet to change, before she turned back to Tony.

 

He was looking at her with a smile, pulling the covers back invitingly as she crawled over to him and under the blankets. She immediately wrapped her arms around the brunette, beyond grateful for these two dorks as parents. He returned the embrace, giving her a tight squeeze before settling the two back comfortably.

 

Steve came back in dressed in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, smiling at the two before making his way over to join them. When he pulled the covers back, he scoffed a little at them.

 

“I see how it is, don’t even need me,” he teased as he climbed into bed. They both laughed at that, Joey untangling herself to curl up with the father she was more concerned about tonight.

 

“Oh no, I was just teasing Jo,” he said with a hint of guilt as he carefully hugged her closer.

 

“I know,” she said, cutting him off from saying anything else. She reached one hand back, feeling around until she could grab one of Tony’s hands in additional comfort. She heard them both chuckle at her, and she could care less how childish and clingy she was being right now.

 

They didn’t seem to mind either, both settling themselves around her – acting as protective walls that kept all of the heartache out.

 

And just let her sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Joey was fuming. She failed her English test even though she actually studied for it. She glared at the paper in her hand as she stood near her locker, hearing familiar giggles behind her.

 

She knows better than to turn around, but does so anyway and isn’t surprised to find her arch nemesis walking towards her.

 

What did surprise her, was one of the girls walking alongside her. Cara Sams, the gorgeous teenager Joey was head over heels for. They were actually friends once upon a time, back when they were in second grade. The one who recently started dating a jock and apparently was now friends with Staci – the skinny bitch set on making Joey’s life a living hell.

 

“Why, hello there less attractive Rosie O’Donnell.” The group of five laughed at the joke while Joey stared unimpressed at the queen bitch.

 

“Can I help you with something, anorexic Barbie?” she said deadpanned. An ‘ooh’ was murmured among the other girls, Joey noting that Cara had remained silent.

 

“Sucker punching me was low, even for a trashy dyke like yourself…so I wanted to see if you’re free after school today. For a fair fight,” Staci said, finishing with her arms crossing her chest. Joey stared back at her, never really one to back down from a fight.

 

_Not that she’d actually been in a fist fight. But there was a first time for anything, right?_

_And wasn’t this twig just the perfect chance to try out her skills?_

 

“Fine, by the bleachers after school; I didn’t realize you wanted your ass kicked that badly,” she sneered at the blonde. Another set of ‘ooh’s made their way around the group, before immediately being cut off by a passing teacher. Who also happened to be her English teacher.

 

“Ladies? Is there a reason you’re not walking to class?”

 

“Sorry Mr. Jefferson, just trying to convert a walking sinner to Christianity. It seems the dyke is a loss cause, sir,” Staci added before the basic bitches laughed along and followed her down the hall. Joey stood there a moment longer, glaring at the group before turning to offer a glare to the man who just stood there.

 

“Doesn’t this expensive ass school have some kind of no-bullying policy?” she asked angrily at the middle aged man.

 

“Josephine, get to class before I write you up for cussing,” he said – the only person who called her by her full name.

 

“Oh, no you’re right,” she said, too pissed to stop herself. “The word ASS is wayyy worse than homophobia. My sincerest apologies,” she said with her normal teenage attitude currently in overdrive.

 

“I’d drop the attitude if I were you, Miss _Stark_ ,” the last name said with obvious sarcasm. She only glared back at him, the bastard knowing her last name was still Barnes.

 

When her uncle married Tony, they both offered a name change for her as well, since Steve was dropping Rogers in favor of Stark. She didn’t, for reasons she didn’t want to discuss around all the happy energy, so she claimed it was because of her Dad she kept it.

 

Since the entire school knew about her new parents, they often liked to mock her for not **actually** being a Stark. Legally or genetically. That she was a ‘carnie Barnes’, just like her father. It made them better than her, she clearly got the message. It made sense from little snobby brats in her new private school, but a teacher?

 

“Would you like to bring my father into this?” she asked quietly, there were a few stragglers left in the hall and she didn’t really want them to hear her threatening her English teacher.

 

The man took a step towards her, saying just as quietly “your _father_ died years ago. If you’re referring to your uncle’s sugar daddy…” he said condescendingly.

 

_You can’t punch a teacher._

_You can’t punch a teacher._

_You can not punch a teacher._

“Then sure, bring in celebrity playboy turned housewife Tony Stark . For not going to class and getting written up for being tardy. Or, how about _threatening a teacher_?” She clenched her fists further, crumbling the test in her hand and repeating the words like a mantra in her head.

 

“Then I suggest you get your **ass** to class, Miss Barnes.” She swallowed her anger, saving it for someone who she can actually take her anger out on.

 

Someone who literally invited her to do it this afternoon.

 

That made it okay, right?

 

The reasoning would have to do for now, as she turned sharply on her heels to head to her next class.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the day dragged on slowly, her anxiety increasing with each passing hour. She cursed her friend Xavier for being out sick today, she could use someone in her corner.

 

But finally, _finally_ , the last bell rung and she made her way to the bleachers. No one was there at first, which surprised her – as they were gossiping hoes…so you’d think there’d be a big crowd for the show…which suddenly made her think something was up.

 

She turned around and sure enough – Staci and her bitches were walking up to her. Cara was hanging in the back, looking like she didn’t want to be a part of this.

 

Which made Jo feel better for a second, before looking around and seeing there wasn’t any other kids around… _didn’t the soccer team have practice?_

 

“Well well well, I can’t believe you actually showed up.”

 

“You challenged me, didn’t you?” she sneered back, her pride always getting the better of her. Too much like Steve in that way.

 

The group of girls made a semi-circle around Joey, who instinctually opened her stance in case of an ambush.

 

“Huh…further proof you’re not a Stark – you’re not that bright, are you?” Staci sneered in return as they took a step closer to her.

 

“I thought you said you wanted a fair fight,” Joey tried, fists clenching and beginning to raise. She stole a look at Cara, who was hanging slightly back…but not making any move to stop what was about to happen.

 

“You sucker punch me, I sucker punch you. **Fair’s fair** ,” Staci said as the group moved in to grab Joey’s arms in restraint.

 

She got a few kicks in, and one backhand to the biggest of them; Alexis Washington. But ultimately they were able to hold her back as Staci approached her – and proceeded to punch her in the ribs several times. And though this bitch was skinny, apparently she had lean muscle hiding under the skin and bones she called a body. Because this shit actually hurt.  

 

Joey managed to kick her a little, but got slapped back across the face by Alex to do any other damage.

 

“Woah, Alexis, we agreed! Nothing to the face. Wouldn’t want the little tattle tale to go crying to her faggy-daddies,” Staci said with a laugh.

 

“You’re right, my bad,” Alexis admitted before she kicked Joey hard…in the crotch. Joey crumbled to the ground as the group let her go, holding herself protectively as she sat in shock that this hurt so badly.

 

Yeah, it hurt dudes for obvious reasons…but she thought it was useless against vagina-owners.

 

**Apparently** **not**.

 

“Told you Staci!” she heard Alexis laugh, “told you the dyke had a dick!” She heard the others laugh around her, keeping her eyes down as she planned a counter attack.

 

She didn’t get to when they all heard the soccer players come out – and the coaches notice and yell at them. The group of cowardly cunts scattered as Joey brought herself to her feet.

 

The coaches turned back to their players when they noticed the fight broke up. It probably didn’t help that Joey turned to walk in the opposite direction of them, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone right now and didn’t need nosy grown men in her business.

 

Speaking of…she couldn’t tell Steve or Tony about this.

 

She didn’t need anyone protecting her.

 

_This was her fight_.


	19. Chapter 19

He’d gotten home before her, which was weird since her train didn’t normally take her that long from school and he had just happened to get off work early today. He tried not to assume the worst, it wasn’t like she was grounded or anything…maybe she went shopping.

 

Except Joey hates shopping.

 

He was making Tony a latte in their kitchen, drumming his fingers against the counter while he wondered where she was. His husband had spent the day in his lab, and after a quick welcome home make-out session, sweetly asked the blonde to make him some coffee.

 

The steaming milk distracted him from his thoughts as the hot liquid spilled over the cup and onto the counter.

 

“Shit,” he said aloud, grabbing a towel to clean up as he heard the elevators ding. He tried to remain calm, waiting for Joey to join him in the kitchen while he finished making Tony’s drink. When he heard her go straight to her bedroom, he began to worry again.

 

Leaving his cup in the kitchen, he walked directly to her room to make sure she was okay. Both his and (one of) Tony’s cars were parked outside, and she always greeted them or at the very least grabbed a snack when she got home.

 

He knocked on her closed door and waited for her permission to enter.

 

“Hey kiddo,” he started when he opened her door, frowning at seeing she had called him from inside her closed bathroom. “Everything alright?” he asked as he made his way to the other closed door.

 

“Yeah, why? What’s up?” she asked.

 

“You’re uh…just late coming home today,” he said lamely.

 

“Oh, sorry. I took a detour to the cemetery. I wanted to talk to Dad today…”

 

_Shit._ “That’s totally fine,” he said quickly, feeling a bit silly for thinking otherwise. He needed to trust her more.

 

“How about I make you a snack, huh Jo?” he asked with a smile.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she said. Steve’s face scrunched up at that, she always wanted a snack.

 

“You sure?” he asked.

 

“Yeah Pop! Can I just…poop in peace?” That caught him off guard, and even resulted in a little snort from the man.

 

“Sorry sweetie, let me know if you change your mind,” he said, holding back from actually laughing aloud as he moved to exit her room.

 

Of course he was making it up in his head.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re totally making it up in your head,” his husband agreed with him later. He finally emerged from the lab (after Steve had made the man another latte, of course) and watched Steve make dinner. Sitting on the counter like a child and not bothering to help the man.

 

“She doesn’t have a job, or volunteer and her only friend at school is Xavier. And I happen to know he’s out sick today cause I texted him about coming over for dinner. How often is she late coming home school? And how often have you seen her go straight to her room and not come greet us?” Steve asked with a pout as he finished making chicken alfredo.

 

“Babe, you said she was in the bathroom taking a shit. Maybe _that’s_ why she went directly to her room instead of greeting us, eh?” the brunette said as he stole a piece of the garlic bread Steve had just finished slicing. He swatted the man’s thigh, though that only always enticed the man.

 

“She’s also been in her room for an hour and hasn’t come out,” the blonde pointed out.

 

“Maybe it’s a big shit, that happens,” he said with a grin. Steve swatted him again for good measure. He recognized those beautifully frustrating brown eyes turn mischievous as Steve turned his attention away from the horndog to finish plating the dishes.

 

Chicken alfredo was a favorite of Joey’s. She should be here soon as Tony did so little as to _text_ the teen that dinner was ready instead of literally _walking to her room_ and telling her in person like Steve had asked.

 

He had also swatted the brunette for that earlier. He secretly loved his husband’s reaction…but enjoyed teasing him entirely too much more to act on it. Especially when their kid was joining them for dinner.

 

So he smiled brightly as he verbally heard his husband pout behind him when the two heard Joey approach the kitchen.

 

“Hey, there she is!” Steve said, pointedly ignoring his husband and bringing the plates to the dinner table.

 

“Here I am?” she asked as she slowly made her way to join them at the table they had moved to. Steve frowned at her movement, because it looked an awful lot like she was in pain.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, still frowning as she winced while sitting down cattycorner from him.

 

“I’m fine,” she said with some annoyance.

 

“Clearly,” Tony said with sarcasm, Steve smiling at the man for being on his side.

 

“It’s nothing guys, seriously.”

 

“Did something happen at school?” Steve asked, turning his attention back to her.

 

“No, it’s just embarrassing, okay? I tripped at the cemetery and hurt my ribs by falling on a stupid tombstone,” she said, clutching her stomach a little.

 

Steve didn’t believe that for a second.

 

“You’re lying,” he said pointedly, dinner forgotten.

 

“I wouldn’t lie about Dad, I did go to the cemetery to talk to him,” she said, eyes lowered but voice filled with anger.

 

“So then what happened before the cemetery?” Tony asked with concern. Joey shifted in her seat without responding.

 

“Why don’t I take a look at the bruise–” Steve began as he extended a hand out to her.

 

“–No!” she said, drawing back and protectively wrapping her arms around herself. Steve sat back and glared at her a little as she glared right back.

 

“I don’t care that you’re gay, doesn’t mean I’m okay with you looking at my tits!” she said over dramatically. They all knew that wasn’t what this was about, the husbands sharing a knowing look before she continued.

 

“Plus Tony’s bi,” she muttered lamely, knowing it was a useless argument.

 

“Ah, see I think you’re getting me confused with the billionaire that actually _wants_ to fuck his daughter. I’m the other one,” the brunette quipped back, getting a laugh from the teen who tried her best to hide it.

 

“You said you hurt your ribs, you have those below your breasts as well as behind them. You are obviously injured and I’m a paramedic–”

 

“–I’m well aware of what you are, _Captain_. But _I_ am fine.”

 

“Yeah? Then let me take a look to confirm,” he said, having a stare down with his teenager.

 

“Sweetheart,” he heard his husband say. “You’re obviously in pain; let Steve look so he can help. We promise not to be angry until we’ve heard your side, in its entirety.” Steve looked away from her to gawk at his husband.

 

“ _I did not promise that_ –”

 

“– **We promise** **not to be angry** until you feel better, okay?” the brunette reiterated, taking turns to look at both of them. Steve glared at him a little, his husband well aware of his anger issue when it came to his family’s protection.

 

_The man knew him too damn well._

 

“Okay,” Steve said in reluctant agreement.

 

“Not okay,” Joey said, causing the parents to look back at her in confusion.

 

“Josephine Renee I will drag your ass down to the nearest hospital so help me God…” Steve began, closing his eyes in anger.

 

“What’s not okay, buttercup?” he heard Tony ask patiently. _Fuck he was so lucky to have him_.

 

“I don’t know, not having rights to my own body?” she asked dramatically. Steve opened his eyes again, opening his mouth to respond but thankful his husband cut him off.

 

“Actually my love, as your parents, we have the legal right to take you to a hospital against your will. Especially when you are injured,” Tony said, ending his statement with a growl.

 

She took a moment to glare at both of them before looking down.

 

With how teenage-angsty Joey has been, Steve prepared himself for the dramatic “you’re not my real parents” shtick he’d seen in so many movies and TV shows. He was surprised when she just threw sass back at Tony.

 

“You know, you used to be the cool one,” she said as she crossed her arms and pouted. She sunk in her chair, looking like she was actually thinking it over as Steve reminded himself to have patience with her.

 

He was much better at this when she was little. He had more patience because she couldn’t fully comprehend her actions. But as a teen? Jesus…

 

He was not this bad as a teenager…but then again…Bucky was. He’d gotten into a fight at a party on behalf of his big brother starting one before. Over a girl, no less. So maybe he should count himself lucky whatever she was injured from, it couldn’t have been as bad as his big brother smashing a guy’s head with a beer bottle. Which was actually a 40…

 

He’s snapped out of his thoughts when he hears Tony speak to their girl.

 

“So do we have a deal? I’ll keep him on a leash, I promise,” he finished with a wink to Joey. She smiled at that, the blonde huffing in disbelief.

 

_It’s not like he was being the unreasonable one here!_

 

“Can we also agree that this is _my_ business?” she asked hopefully.

 

“No way in hell,” Steve answered quickly, looking to see if his husband disagreed. The man didn’t, probably just as concerned about the injury as he was.

 

Steve looked back at her and sighed.

 

“Kiddo,” he began slowly, “please don’t make me force you to do this.” She glared back at him, tears forming in her eyes as she sat back defiantly away from him.

 

“Jo,” Tony said gently, causing her to look up at him; blinking as tears spilled down her cheek. She sat forward only slightly, Steve a little jealous of her actually listening to Tony.

 

“Beloved, can you get my med kit from the kitchen drawer?” Steve looked at Joey while he asked, frowning at seeing her look down at the implication.

 

_How bad was it?,_ he thought as he saw Tony out of the corner of his eye go do as he asked.

 

“Baby, I don’t want to do this anymore than you do. But I love you, and I **will** make you,” he said gently, glad to see her finally sit up more little at that. She waited until Tony came back to move around in her chair to make it easier for Steve to access her injury.

 

With a dramatic sigh impressive even for a teenager, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt with both hands, slowly lifting it until she rested the shirt below her breast-line. There was definitely significant bruising around her ribs.

 

“You’re wearing makeup on your face,” Tony pointed out quietly, causing the teen to blush furiously at them. Steve looked at his husband first in confusion, before extending the look to their daughter who was looking at anything but the blonde.

 

“Josephine,” he said quietly, genuinely doing his best to hide the anger in his voice. She lowered her shirt in fear, reminding Steve he had promised _not_ to be angry.

 

_Guess he didn’t do that good of a job…_

 

He took a breath before grabbing the med kit, pulling out the supplies he had to deal with bruises before asking her kindly to pull her shirt back up. She looked wearily at him for a moment, which admittedly broke his heart a little, before doing as he asked.

 

He wordlessly helped her with the wounds, being as gentle as possible and murmuring sorry’s whenever she winced in pain.

 

“Honey can you grab her a glass of water? I’ve got some pain meds here,” Steve asked quietly, not wanting to break the silence he had managed as he finished with the bandage and gently pulled her shirt back down.

 

He half-smiled at her, concern growing when she remained quiet; really hopeful that she would explain herself soon.

 

“You’ve been in a fight, I can see that Joey,” he said softly as she turned and looked incredulously at him. “Someone used your ribs as a punching bag and something happened to your face,” he added as Tony rejoined them and sat on the other side of Joey after handing her the glass.

 

She took both the water and the pills Steve handed her, still not looking at either parent as she swallowed them. She finally responded, looking down at her lap.

 

“She said to _aim for the ribs_ , so I wouldn’t go crying to my _faggy-daddies_ ,” she said bitterly, arms protectively wrapping around her middle again. “One of them got my face though…”

 

“Who did this to you?” Tony asked painfully.

 

“Does this have anything to do with that girl you punched a few weeks ago?” Steve asked, realization clicking in when she blushed at the question.

 

“Her and her friends jumped you, didn’t they? Lord knows you could have handled that little cunt on your own…” Tony said, trailing off as he looked deep in thought; Steve threw a glare his way for the unpleasant word.

 

“It was supposed to be a fair fight…” she started, stopping herself quickly when she realized what she had said aloud. She didn’t look at either of them as the wheels clicked in Steve’s brain.

 

“So you knew there was going to be a fight, and ended up getting jumped?” he asked, hitting the nail on the head as she buried herself further into her chair.

 

“Why wouldn’t you tell us?” Tony asked sadly.

 

“Because,” she gritted out, “I knew you guys would be mad… **and** I don’t need anyone else… _fighting my fight for me_.”

 

Those words were like a dagger to Steve’s chest. His face crumpled in pain as he brought his hands to his face in agony.

 

Even added a groan for good measure.

 

“Goddammit,” he said before looking up at the two confused people. “All this time I thought you were turning into Bucky…but I’ve **literally** said those words before…”

 

Tony, the bastard, snorted aloud at that.

 

“I’m sorry, are you _just now_ realizing you’re basically twins?” he asked, throwing some finger pointing in both their directions. Now it was his turn to look confused, stealing a glance at Joey whose brows were still furrowed.

 

“Seriously? You two?” Tony asked again with a frown. He sighed dramatically before continuing, counting off the reasons on his fingers.

 

“You’re both stubborn as hell, have incredibly short fuses, fiercely protective of those you love, never back down from a fight and always stand your ground…should I keep going?” he added with a smile. Steve glared at his husband, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being spot on; which he obviously was.

 

“So…it’s his fault?” Joey asked quietly, a small smile appearing on her face. Steve turned his glare to his girl, unable to help the smile that broke through on his face for the attempt.

 

“Nice try, kiddo,” Tony said with a smile. “How about we just eat this food that is probably cold, which I’m happy to heat up, and we’ll **all** deal with this later. How does that sound?” he asked before looking at both of them for confirmation.

 

“Not like I have a choice, right?” she asked as she reached out to grab her plate and bring it closer to her.

 

Steve and Tony shared a look before grabbing their plates to eat as well.


	20. Chapter 20

FLASHBACK

 

When Joey was four and after their mother had passed, Steve temporarily moved in to Bucky’s two-bedroom apartment. He was still pretty devastated after losing Ma, not really leaving the couch he had crashed on.

 

“Uncle Steve! You gotta move!” he ignored the tiny person currently trying to shove him off the couch. “Jose is coming over and you gotta get up!”

 

“Jo, you and Jose can play in your room, leave your Uncle Steve alone baby.”

 

“But Daddy! We wanna build a fort,” he heard his niece complain, eyes still closed as he tucked himself further into the couch.

 

“You can build a fort in your room too, baby girl. Uncle Steve doesn’t feel good.”

 

“Then he should go lie down on your bed!” she whined.

 

“Josephine, no more whining or Jose won’t come over at all.” Steve was glad to hear her sigh but did frown when she simply climbed on top of him.

 

“Jo…” he groaned out as pointy knees and elbows stabbed him. Just as she got settled, the doorbell rang and she scrambled off him to go answer it.

 

“Jose!”

“Joey!”

 

“Joey, why don’t you take him to your room while I fix you two a snack?”

 

“Hi Mr. Bucky!”

 

“Hey Jose,” he heard his brother say in greeting before coming over to mimic his daughter. Steve groaned louder, thinking his brother was going to actually be mature here as the full grown man laid on top of him.

 

“Get off me you big oaf!” he groaned as the man sprawled himself over the blanket covered eighteen year old.

 

“Stevie, I miss Ma too, but you can’t just stay on the couch forever.”

 

“Yes I can,” he mumbled as he contemplated throwing the man off him. He had the strength to do so after recently growing past his big bro in both height and weight.

 

“Come on baby brother, how can I help? Do you need a distraction? We can go down to my shop and tinker with stuff. Or you could help me do laundry?” Steve smiled in spite of his heart aching, loving his brother for trying to help.

 

“I just wanna–”

 

“–don’t say go back to sleep! Come on, help me make the kiddos a snack,” Buck said as he climbed off him and pulled the blanket back in one swift move. Steve blinked several times in response, contemplating just turning over before his brother grabbed his arm and dragged him to stand up and follow him into the kitchen.

 

“Buck…” he began to whine, even though he had complied and was currently leaning against the counter.

 

“Steve,” the bastard whined back, turning around to grab some fruit to slice up as Steve furrowed his brows and crossed his arms in response. When his brother turned back, he smiled at the sight of the teen and put everything down to walk over and envelope him in a hug.

 

Steve easily returned it, frown still on his face as he burrowed himself into Buck’s neck. His brother just tightened his hold on him as Steve felt traitorous tears start to burn his eyes.

 

“I miss her so much Buck,” the blonde whimpered.

 

“I know Stevie, me too,” he heard his brother say with a waver in his voice as the two practically clung to each other in the kitchen. After a moment Buck pulled away to smile at his brother and reassure him.

 

“Listen, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want. And I don’t expect you to just move on from her, okay? I just…want to ask you to try?” he asked gently as Steve grabbed a nearby napkin to wipe his face.

 

“I won’t overstay my welcome, Buck–”

 

“–couldn’t if you tried, baby brother,” he interrupted him, adding a playful punch to the blonde’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah well…thanks. And I will,” he said with a blush as he watched his brother smile back at him before turning back to the kids’ snack.

 

“Actually,” Buck said with a smile, “do you wanna make them a snack? I want to go check on them real quick, she might need more pillows for their fort.” The man left without waiting for Steve’s response as the blonde simply shook his head fondly at his brother’s actions.

 

Steve did love cooking.

 

He walked over to check the pantry when he heard what sounded like a child screaming. Senses quickly regained, Steve ran in the direction of the sound before halting in the doorway to Joey’s room…

 

…where both children had their pants pulled down while Bucky was simply looking frantically between the kids and Steve, mouth gaping open and closed in shock.

 

…which meant the scream had actually come from the adult man, since both kids just looked confused but calm at the adults.

 

And that’s when Steve lost his shit, doubling over in laughter as the realization of the situation clicked in his brain.

 

Kids are curious by nature, and it’s actually really common for kids their age to want to find out more about their bodies. What makes it hilarious, is that Bucky was not aware of this and had absolutely no idea how to handle the situation.

 

You know…based on the current state he was in; which was still mouth gaping like a large mouth bass.

 

“Guys, clothes back on,” Steve said trying not to laugh again as the kids shrugged before doing as told. His brother had his lips pursed together like he was about to ask a question…but still stared in fear as Steve couldn’t help laughing again.

 

“Am I in trouble?” Joey asked as her hands subconsciously reached back to cover her behind. “It was my idea, don’t blame Jose.” Steve was proud of her honesty while Buck was somehow even more upset.

 

“Why? Why?” Bucky finally articulated as the blonde quickly reassured his niece.

 

“You’re not in trouble, Joey. Buck, why don’t you go fix them a snack?” he suggested as he walked over to squat down and hug the poor kid.

 

“Yeah, sure. Yeah, sure,” the brunette mumbled as he stumbled out of the room. Steve took a moment to look at the two very confused four year olds, wondering if he could do this.

 

“Kiddos, they’re called _private_ parts for a reason,” he said with a smile as he saw the two giggle in response. “It’s okay, I understand you guys were just curious. But go to your parents with questions, okay? Don’t just drop your pants like silly little gooses.” He sat down cross legged to sit comfortably, smiling when they continued laughing at him.

 

“Uncle Steve?” Jo asked suddenly.

 

“Yes baby?”

 

“Do you have what Jose has?”

 

All previous confidence flew out the window, as well as his sanity, as he simply nodded in response.

 

“So my mommas have what Joey has?” Jose asked with an adorably scrunched up face. Steve nodded again in response, wondering if he should cut them off from asking anything else.

 

“Huh, okay. Uncle Steve does this mean we can make the fort in the living room?” his favorite girl in the world asked excitedly.

 

And Steve simply nodded a third time, standing up to follow the kids out…

 

…feeling genuinely happy…

 

…and for the first time…thoroughly distracted…


	21. Chapter 21

Later they sat together in the living room, Tony curled up in front of Steve while Joey sat as far away from them on the couch as possible. She seemed more relaxed after the pain meds set in, grabbing a blanket to curl around herself as she waited for them to start the conversation.

 

His husband curled his arms around the brunette, who figured he’d start the conversation since he established earlier – they are both stubborn mules.

 

“What nonviolent way do you want to handle this, Jo?” he asked the teen as Steve moved to rest his head on top of Tony’s; practically pulling the man onto his lap in order to do so. He smiled when Steve hummed in approval at the question, the vibrations tickling the brunette’s head.

 

“I can only think of violent ways,” she said with a smile of her own.

 

Oh yeah, those drugs definitely kicked in.

 

“We could sue their asses, that’s not _physically_ violent,” Steve suggested, as Joey pouted adorably in response.

 

“Come on! It was six against one, that deserves a swift kick in the crotch!” she said, sticking out a foot in emphasis.

 

“Not sure it’s as effective with people who have vaginas…” Tony said curiously.

 

“It absolutely is!” she shot back quickly. Tony cocked his head to the side, wondering…

 

“Joey did they **also** kick you in the crotch?” the man asked incredulously.

 

“Yes! Okay? Yes. They did. And it hurt like a motherfucker!” she said as she once again curled in on herself. The two fathers sat in silence as they absorbed this new information.

 

“She said…” she began, cutting herself off from continuing by closing her mouth shut.

 

“What’d that cunt say?” Tony asked quietly. Steve pushed him off his lap in offense, the brunette smiling and grumbling in protest.

 

“Can we, just? Cool it with the crude words?” the blonde said with a sigh. Tony threw a glare his way before turning his attention back to their kid.

 

“Come on, Jo,” Tony encouraged. She released a dramatic sigh before confessing.

 

“She said… _I told you the dyke had a dick_. Cause I just crumbled to the ground in pain. But apparently they’ve never been kicked in the crotch! I think she bruised my…” she did a weird hand-wave over the injured area, “pelvis? Crotchal region? Pop help me out here what’s the medical term for my broken vaginal area?”

 

He and Steve both snorted in laughter at that.

 

The blunt honesty was hilarious and rather adorable. 

 

“Your pelvic region works, and I can grab you an ice pack if you’d like,” Steve offered.

 

“I’m not exactly…hurting right now, if you catch my drift,” she said with a horrible attempt at a wink and finger guns.

 

“Yeah, well it’ll help you feel less like shit tomorrow morning,” the blonde reiterated after failing to attempt to hold back a laugh.

 

“Wait, how come _shit_ is not crude but _cunt_ is?” Joey asked in offense.

 

“Because I just don’t like cunt, okay?” Steve said seriously.

 

“Oh honey, we are all well aware of that…” Tony quipped, unable to pass on such an opportunity. He laughed once Joey started, unable to help himself from bellowing when his husband genuinely looked offended at him for the joke. He took a moment to compose himself.

 

“Okay! We promise to lay off of cunts, alright? Joey?” he asked, turning to the laughing teen, “promise your Pop you’ll lay off cunts, okay? See? She promises, Steve. And…to be fair, babe I already promised to lay off cunts when I said ‘I do’, so–”

 

“–Seriously?” Steve interrupted and shoved his husband in response.

 

Tony felt the couch shift behind him as Steve got off and stood up next to him, stretching his body out.

 

His accessible body.

 

His chiseled, accessible body.

 

It was only natural Tony reached out and rubbed his hand on his husband’s abs when his shirt lifted enough to see them.

 

The blonde quickly stepped away with a laugh, throwing a mock-glare at his husband as he walked over to Joey – cheeks always pink when he was tickled.

 

And his abs were one of Tony’s favorite spots.

 

“Seriously?” Joey asked the brunette before turning to the blonde. “Control your husband!”

 

“I can’t! I’ve tried, trust me. Give me a few more years…”

 

“Hey!” Tony said in shock, before turning back to the teen. “Looking past all of his faults,” Tony shot back. “Just…I mean…can you blame me?” he said gesturing to Steve’s body.

 

“Yes!” they both said in unison.

 

“Anthony Edward Stark so help me,” his love growled as he walked to the kitchen to grab the ice pack.

 

“Ha! You’re in tru-ble. He used your _full name_ ,” Joey said teasingly. He stuck his tongue out at her in response, smiling when she only laughed in return.

 

“Well, guess it never hurt being a real Stark,” she muttered with a smile, settling more on the couch as the words hit Tony like a punch to the chest.

 

Which isn’t fair, because his heart has secretly been hurting him lately. Not that he wanted to admit that out loud. It was probably just the resurfacing of a certain fuck-face…

 

His focus shifted back to Jo when she moved to rest her head back on top of the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Tony took a gulp before responding to her remark.

 

“You know…you’re a real Stark. Even though you didn’t take my name. Which, again, totally fine – I get it, you kept Barnes for your Dad…”

 

“No I didn’t,” she confessed as Steve made his way back to join them. He sat on the coffee table near Joey and tried to hand her the large ice pack. However, the drugs were strong in this one – as she just blinked and continued staring at the ceiling.

 

“Jo, ice pack,” Steve said with a smile, poking her in the arm with the frozen bag to get her attention. She giggled a little, keeping her head back as she used her hands blindly to grab the ice pack, gently placing it on her ‘crotchal region.’

 

“Joey?” Steve asked, catching the tail end of their conversation. “What did you mean by that?”

 

“Mean by what?” she asked sincerely, totally doped out. Tony laughed a little at that.

 

“About not taking Stark cause of Buck?” he asked in clarification.

 

“Oooh, right. I don’t actually give a shit about Barnes, neither did Dad,” she confessed easily, eyes still on the ceiling.

 

“What?” Steve asked quietly, clearing hearing this for the first time. “Wait, what? What are you talking about Joey?” Tony shifted closer on the couch to her, and also to his slightly frantic husband who looked thoroughly confused.

 

“Dad told me he was supposed to be a Rogers, but then your birth dad died and Nana couldn’t afford it on her own. His bio dad was a nightmare, right?” she asked in confirmation.

 

“Um…yeah,” Steve said.

 

“Right, so Dad said _your_ dad, Joseph, who my dad told me I was named after…well he met your mom when my dad was like, four? And when Joseph found out your mom was pregnant with you, he told my dad he was going to adopt him and marry your mom. But…then he got sick with cancer. Then, you know…he died when you were like six months old? I don’t know, some of the details are fuzzy. Anyway, I didn’t take Stark as my last name cause I…wait,” she paused…sitting up as if she was sobering up. She handed the ice pack back to Steve hastily and stood up.

 

“Look, just call in for me tomorrow at school and we can discuss…all of the options while I heal. And maybe one of you can stay here with me…” she confessed, still slightly unlike her normal self as she spoke honestly. She did grimace in taking a step, though, which alerted the two fathers who leaned forward to catch her as she shooed them off.

 

“Please? Just let me go to sleep,” she whined when Steve reached a hand out to gently grab her arm. His husband didn’t initially let her go, carefully helping her wrap the blanket fully around herself and rest on her shoulders when she was failing to do so.

 

“Do you want some help getting to bed?” he asked softly after releasing her. She stumbled a little, cursing under her breath as she stabilized herself.

 

“Let me try, Jarvee can tell you guys if I need back up,” she said quietly as she smiled at the two before turning away. Tony rolled his eyes fondly at her nickname for his AI.

 

“Night JoJo, sweet dreams,” the brunette called to her.

 

“Night padres,” she called back without turning around on her journey.

 

“Love you,” Steve added, smiling at Tony when she yelled it back to them.

 

“That could have gone a lot worse,” the brunette said as he reached out to rest his hand on his husband’s knee. The blonde smiled back at Tony, nodding in agreement with eyes that said the opposite.

 

“Look on the bright side, handsome,” the brunette added as he grabbed his love’s jaw gently. “Remember earlier when I said it was probably just GI problems? Well, you get to tell me _I told you so_ ,” he said as he leaned forward to claim those beautiful lips. He felt Steve smile against his him and let out a small laugh. The genius was unable to resist grabbing both sides of his handsome face to kiss him fully – _fuck he loved this man_.

 

Steve, **his** **Steve** , found a creative alternative to actually saying the four words.

 

It involved a lot of fucking.


	22. Chapter 22

It was a stupid thing to do. Texting her. But then again, Joey was never really a smart kid. She knew this would only end in heartbreak.

 

But her curiosity demanded it.

 

She took the train the following Saturday afternoon while both her dads were at work to meet with Carolyn. For lunch.

 

One time thing, of course.

 

Every instinct told her this was a bad idea. But something deep down inside of her wanted to have an actual conversation with this woman.

 

She sought her out for a reason.

 

And if it turned out that at the very least…she might get a maternal pen-pal out of all of this…well that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

 

_People can change, right?_

 

She got off at her designated stop, walking the two blocks to the diner she wanted to try and Carolyn had agreed to meet at.

 

The woman was already there, sitting at a small table and smiling at the teen as she made her way over. Joey sat across from the woman, only offering a small smile in greeting while the waitress brought them both waters.

 

“I’m glad you contacted me,” Carolyn said.

 

“I wouldn’t get too excited, mostly I’m curious as to why now,” she said bluntly. Carolyn’s eyes narrowed a little before she put a smile back on her face. The waitress came back to take their order, Joey hastily picking a burger and fries to be safe.

 

“I wanted to get to know you,” the older woman said, sitting back with a sigh after the woman had left.

 

“That still doesn’t answer why now.” She stared at the teen for a long moment before responding.

 

“…what did your uncle tell you?” Joey’s own eyes narrowed at that question; Carolyn’s gaze not leaving hers as she continued.

 

“I’m sure whatever picture Steven painted of me was not in any good favor. But I was recently diagnosed with late stage breast cancer. I found you so I could get to know my only granddaughter…and warn you since there’s a genetic component to it.”

 

Joey sat there staring at her while the waitress brought their food.

 

“Thanks for the warning,” Joey said sincerely, nibbling on a French fry as she’d suddenly lost her appetite.

 

“Early detection is key, you’ll be just fine Josephine,” Carolyn said before taking a bite of her summer salad.

 

“It’s Joey, no one calls me Josephine. Unless I’m in trouble, but then it’s usually followed by my middle name.

 

“Renee?” Carolyn asked with a smile. Joey didn’t return the smile, but did nod in response. “Do you know where I got Renee from when I named your mother?”

 

Joey’s brows furrowed as she thought about it, shaking her head no in response.

 

“Renee was my childhood friend.”

 

“Did you stay in touch?” Joey found herself asking.

 

“No, unfortunately. She moved to Australia with her husband. But that doesn’t mean I ever stopped loving her.”

 

Joey half-smiled thinking about that…

 

…but then she remembered what has been bothering her about this woman…

 

“Carolyn…do you know I’m gay?” The older woman almost choked on her water, taking a moment to catch her breath before responding.

 

“Um, yes…I believe I heard that. That doesn’t change the fact that I’d still like to get to know you.” Something didn’t feel right to the teen.

 

“You know…I am older than my Uncle Franklin ever was. Your son?” she asked, not looking away from the woman’s face turning to shock. The older woman open and closed her mouth a few times in response as her brows furrowed in anger.

 

“I did not fly from the other side of the country to be reminded of the death of my son whom you’ve **never even met** –”

 

“–and whose fault is that?” the teen snapped. Carolyn sat back, fuming in her seat as she glared at her granddaughter.

 

“Don’t you already have a homosexual uncle?” she asked condescendingly.

 

“No, actually, I have two gay dads,” Joey snapped back, officially done with this conversation and moving to put her jacket on to leave.

 

“Your uncle tried to get me to take you off his hands when your dad died.”

 

Joey’s draw dropped like in the cartoons. The words registered in her brain, in her heart, in her fucking _soul_.

 

“Wha…why–”

 

“–because he couldn’t handle it. Handle you, at least all by himself. I tried to get you, but by then he had changed his mind…anyway, look I was thinking of treating us to a spa day–”

 

“–Why would you tell me that?” she asked incredulously. “What…what did you think would happen after you dropped that bombshell on me? That I’d go running into your arms? As if realizing…that my **Pop** having a moment of weakness _five years ago_ would make me love him any less? Like he hasn’t loved me since **day one?** What…did you think that would make me sympathize with you? Oh, sorry, that and you’re dying from cancer and scrambling for some holy forgiveness _bullshit_ with what people haven’t cut you from their lives. You’re despicable,” she finished, standing quickly and grabbing her things to exit the place as fast as possible.

 

She didn’t hear anyone trying to stop her, nor would she have listened.

 

What she needed, was a fucking drink.

 

And since she didn’t want any company, she avoided reaching out to her friends. So she went alone to her luckiest liquor store to see if she could score. She had fifty dollars cash, it should be fairly easy.

 

She leaned against the tree outside about a block away, pretending to play on her phone while she scouted out for people she could ask.

 

She usually got a yes from the men.

 

The women were rarely as willing to commit a crime, so she usually looked for older men that were easy targets.

 

Fate was not on her side this afternoon when a familiar car pulled up in front of her. She felt her cheeks blush as May rolled down the window to her car and smiled at her.

 

“Hey kiddo, you need a ride?” she offered generously. This woman was seriously a Saint.

 

“Uh, no I’m good,” she said with what she hoped was a convincing smile. It wasn’t, as the woman put her car in park and walked over to the teen.

 

“Let me rephrase that,” the woman said with a no-bullshit look, “you need a drink?” she finished with her hands resting on her hips in challenge.

 

“Are you offering?” the teen quipped back.

 

“Peter is with his Aunty Pepper for the rest of the weekend. I was going to run some errands…but it looks like you could use some company.”

 

“But not alcohol?” Joey asked half-jokingly. May was actually kind of the perfect person to talk to about this, and she’d be lying if she said the offer wasn’t tempting.

 

“I’ve got some hard cider?” the woman offered with a smile. Joey looked for a long moment at her, part of her wondering if she even deserved to have this woman’s company.

 

The teen smiled before nodding, walking back with May to her car. They sat in silence until they made it her couch, the older woman grabbing two ciders for the pair.

 

“So,” May started, taking a swig of her drink, “wanna tell me what’s bothering you?” Joey took her own long swig, wondering to herself how honest she should be. However her insecurities got to her first as she offered this kind woman a way out.

 

“Not really, just some teenage bullshit…”

 

“Joey I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t genuinely want to know. I could’ve just driven past you, but I care about you. If you don’t feel like talking about it, that’s fine too. But my offer still stands, okay?” she said, waiting a moment before grabbing the remote and putting the TV on. It was muted, giving Joey the option to opt out of opening up right now.

 

The teen took another large gulp of her drink, wondering to herself how many of these she’d need to get at least buzzed.

 

She looked back at May, who was simply smiling patiently back at her.

 

“I just…” the teen began, secretly loving how wonderful this felt as words tumbled freely from her mouth.

 

“It’s a lot of things, actually. Adjusting to a new life with a celebrity billionaire as a parent, a private school with snotty fuck-boys and bitches who pick on me for being both gay and the child of gays – oh but not really because they’re ‘ _not technically my parents_ ’ – cause my **real parent** was just white trash…like me. Except Steve has always felt like a ‘real parent’ to me – who I betrayed by going behind his back to speak to my maternal grandmother who **just informed me** that the same man tried to give me to her immediately following my father’s death, like that bitch seriously threw it in my face to get me to hang out with her. Her guilt of being a shitty person for sending her son to suicide made her reach out to me before she…dies….of breast cancer. Which is genetic. So yeah… add that to the list of medical concerns I have – on top of motherfucking epilepsy. Plus…the girl I’m in love with is a closeted coward and to top it all off - !”

 

Shit.

 

She almost said the words aloud. How she felt selfish for wanting a mom to talk to when she was currently speaking with a kind mother-like figure. A woman who was simply her brother’s mother and owed this teenager nothing.

 

“Okay, let me see if I can do this,” the woman said as the teen looked back at her with furrowed brows. _What was she talking about?_

 

The woman turned to sit cross legged next to her on the couch, impressing the teen by chugging the rest of her drink before continuing.

 

“But first you should also finish your drink, cause shit’s about to get real,” she said with a smile, the teen unable to hold back a genuine laugh at that. She nodded with a smile as she easily obliged the request. She let out a small burp after, smiling when May nodded with an impressive look on her face.

 

“Nice,” she added for good measure, smiling again at Joey before speaking.

 

“I won’t sugar coat it. That _fucking_ sucks, dude. I can’t even imagine what that must be like for you. That is like, a horrible tornado of bad luck bullshit. And who the heck can you say all that to? I love your dads. But if you tell Steve, he’ll freak out and probably say something he’ll regret – whereas if you tell Tony, he’ll only focus on the last name thing because that precious puppy is almost forty and still insecure – when what you need is someone to talk to about each of those things…maybe a third party person who happens to be sitting right in front of you?” she asked with a smile and wiggled eye brows for good measure.

 

Joey laughed aloud at that, warmth filling her chest at how this was going. She looked at May a moment longer, who was keeping her gaze as if to squash any doubts the teen might have of her offer.

 

The teen eventually nodded in response, sitting up straighter when she realized she would finally be able to talk to someone about this.  

 

“Okay,” May began, “what first? I’m particularly interested in leading this conversation and just absolutely validating the shit out of you, but I wanted to give you a chance to steer the convo,” she offered. Joey bit her lip as she smiled at this incredible woman, genuinely thinking her offer over as she chewed her lip for a moment longer.

 

“¿Porque no los dos?” she suggested, smiling when May laughed in return. “Can we actually start with the girl? Maybe give me some suggestions on how to stop loving someone when they’re too scared to even stand up for you when you’re getting jumped by some basic bitches?”

 

May looked hurt at that confession, but quickly snapped out of it to answer.

 

“Yeah, definitely. Well, first, fuck those basic bitches. And just for…the record…how did your dads react when they found out about you getting jumped?”

 

“They freaked out a little cause of the bruising,” Joey said as she self consciously rubbed her mostly healed wounds. Steve was better at his job than Joey gave him credit for. “But mostly they were cool. Except when they made me promise not to retaliate physically. I will probably eventually break that promise – since she is a certified cunt…”

 

“Ugh, the worst,” May encouraged.

 

“Right? Anyway, Tony actually had all the girls suspended for two weeks and had stuff added to their permanent record. Which…whatever that doesn’t exactly solve my problem. But I appreciate it. Anyway - so, about this one chick. How do you make yourself hate someone?” May laughed a little at that.

 

“You know…I don’t really know,” she said as they both heard a phone ring. May felt her pockets out and checked her phone, a confused look on her face. She swiped her finger across the screen, answering it as she held it to hear ear.

 

“Hello? Oh, hey Steve, what number are you calling from?” Joey froze when she heard the caller’s name, frantically checking her own pockets in realization. Sure enough, her phone was on silent and had several missed calls from him.

 

“Yeah she’s actually right here with me, hang on a second.” May mouthed _sorry_ as she handed the teen the phone, Joey taking a gulp before taking it from her hand to put to her ear.

 

“Before you get mad…” she started, interrupted by her Pop.

 

“ _You_ just _got your phone back. You’re supposed to answer it when I call you. That’s how a phone works.”_

 

“Okay, yes, I’m sorry,” she shot an apologetic look at May, who simply smiled at the teen before grabbing their empty bottles and taking them to the kitchen to give her some privacy.

 

_“We’ve talked about this kiddo…”_

“Yes, I remember…” she said, glad he couldn’t see her roll her eyes at him.

 

_“And why aren’t you home? I came here to surprise you with take out for dinner and you left without leaving one of your infamous notes.”_ His tone sounded much nicer now, almost fond.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think I’d be out that long. I ran into May and she invited me over for some…tea,” she tried, hoping his mind reading didn’t work over the phone.

 

_“Well that’s very nice of May, but you don’t want to over stay your welcome. Tony’s on his way home, I’ll tell him to swing by and pick you up, okay?”_

“Yeah, okay,” she admitted, pouting at the idea.

 

_“Can you put May back on the phone, I just want to thank her.”_

 

“Oh, yeah sure…hang on,” she said before covering the microphone and moving to walk into the kitchen to find her.

 

“Pssst, May, Steve wants to talk to you. If you could…keep our stories straight…I told him we ran into each other – let’s say at a bookstore – and you invited me over for tea…” she pleaded, glad to see the woman laugh and reach for the phone with a nod.

 

“Steve?” May asked after putting the phone to her ear. “Yeah not a problem at all, Joey’s a delight. Uh huh. Well…that’s why I offered the tea, Steven,” she threw a wink at the teen, who felt herself calm down a little at that.

 

“Yeah that works out, I need to talk to your husband anyway. No, he’s not in trouble – this time at least,” she paused to laugh with Steve, “no it’s about Peter actually, he’s doing a family tree for school and I forgot Tony’s grandparents names. Oh? Wait hang on let me get a pen and paper…should’ve known better then to ask that quote unquote genius anyway…” she trailed off as she searched her drawers for something to write with and on.

 

Joey rolled her eyes fondly as she watched May take notes; glad and grateful to get what time she could get with this woman.

 

And vowed not to tell her dads about seeing Carolyn…just yet.


	23. Chapter 23

“It’s nothing,” Tony said for the tenth time to his oldest friend, the man looking back at him in disbelief as the genius rubbed the middle of his chest. “I’m just stressed about Ty, that’s all,” he said mostly to convince himself.

 

“Or, something’s actually wrong and you’re too dumb to get it checked out,” Rhodey said, crossing his arms over his chest for good measure.

 

“I don’t need another paparazzi pic–”

 

“–what about your new science buddy? The one who also went to med school?”

 

“Bruce?” Tony asked, unaware that Rhodey knew who he was. “What about him?”

 

“Have him check you out. Here, at SI where no one has to know.” Tony frowned at that, still not liking that plan.

 

“You see Bruce or I call your husband and tattle,” the Colonel threatened. The genius frowned at that, pouting at his friend for using such a reliable threat.

 

“Fine! Jesus you drama queen I’ll go see Bruce, will that make you happy?”

 

“Yes, obviously,” he replied quickly, grabbing Tony’s arm to essentially drag him the three floors to their destination.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Heart surgery.

 

That was Tony’s take away from all those fucking tests that Bruce ran for him. He might’ve said ‘minor heart surgery’ but all Tony heard was that he’d need to go under to be cut open for a huge serious surgery.

 

If it wasn’t for Rhodey’s impressive tattling abilities – he probably wouldn’t be telling his husband tonight.

 

If anything, Steve was well educated in the medical field enough to calm down the frantic genius…but the thought of putting more on his plate because of Tony was… _unfair_.

 

But he was a man of his word, contrary to popular belief, and prepared to tell Steve that evening after Peter was asleep.

 

Joey asked to spend the night with Nat and Clint – as they had bribed the teenager with concert tickets, so it was just the boys tonight. He didn’t want his kids to find out right now anyway, promising himself he’ll tell them later too. With Steve’s help, of course.

 

After he kissed his boy several times goodnight, he smiled as Steve carried their son to bed while the genius stayed behind to do dishes. It didn’t bother him that Peter often asked for Steve to put him to bed, sometimes Tony slipped in to hear him read the stories the way he does.

 

His love always read with enthusiasm, voice changing for each character. His face would scrunch up adorably when he read a dramatic part, or stretch out to emphasize an excited character. Really it was more fun to just watch Steve’s face while he read, rather than the occasional picture he’d show to Peter to help legitimize the story.

 

Often the boy, much like his Daddy, would watch Steve’s face while he read; not needing anything else to help imagine the story in their minds.

 

In fact, Joey has, on more than one occasion, tried to convince Steve his ‘impeccable character development’ would help her understand her required school readings better. Though the blonde blushed each time, he didn’t give in to her clever schemes. He’d been reading to her since she was born, he was familiar with her cute attempts to have him read to her. Especially when it came to her trying to get out of school work.

 

He must’ve spaced out while thinking of Steve, because the man snuck up on him a moment later by wrapping his arms around him from behind.

 

He definitely must’ve zoned out if enough time had passed that Steve had read several stories and kissed their son goodnight. Steve always told him he’d tried to limit it to two…but those puppy eyes got him every time.

 

Tony’s attention was quickly brought back to the man behind him, who had rested his chin on the genius’ shoulders as he watched him finish cleaning the dishes.

 

Tony found himself smiling when the man tightened his arms around him, still just watching in silence.

 

Kept smiling quietly until Tony finished and dried off his hands, the blonde moving to kiss the back of his neck.

 

“So,” Steve began, “Rhodey said you had something to tell me,” he said gently. Tony scoffed out a laugh, grinning while thinking of that rat-bastard of a best friend.

 

“I was waiting for Peter to go to bed! Dammit _James_ …” he said with a pout, smiling when he heard his husband laugh fondly behind him.

 

“Alright,” Steve said with a smile, gently untangling himself to turn the shorter man around to face him. “What did you want to tell me?”

 

Tony looked into those fucking beautiful and intoxicating baby blues, wishing he had any will power against them.

 

“My heart’s been hurting lately. I thought it was anxiety for having…‘he who shall not be named’ back. But I had Dr. Banner look at it today, or rather Rhodey dragged my ass down to have him look at it today, and…he said I’d need surgery. Something about replacing a heart valve and I honestly didn’t hear the rest after surgery…” he looked down then, wondering why his family was having such bad luck lately.

 

Steve gently raised Tony by his chin to face him again, sadness heavily painted all over his handsome face.

 

“Baby, why didn’t you tell me your heart was hurting? Even if you just thought it was anxiety?” he asked gently.

 

“Cause, it’s just another thing to add to your list of things stressing you out, and anxiety is something I already have!” he pouted in his defense. The blonde rolled his eyes fondly before leaning back to address him more seriously.

 

“I appreciate you trying to spare my feelings, my love…but I’m your **husband**. You can tell me these things because we’re a _team_ , right? And we’ll get through it together; like we have with all the bullshit that’s been thrown our way lately.” Tony laughed in agreement, unable to really conjure any other real emotion. Although…right now, he was just happy to be here with Steve.

 

“And if you need heart surgery, we’ll get through that together too, okay?” he asked with a smile as he again leaned toward the genius. They were interrupted from performing any PDA by a loud audible gasp.

 

“Daddy?” Peter asked, standing in the doorway to the kitchen with tears in his eyes. “Are you… _dying_?!” he asked before covering his face with his hands and crying in anguish.

 

That image did not help his heart, though he pushed through the pain to walk over to the boy with his arms reaching out for him.

 

“No, baby, no of course not!” he said as he picked his son up and hugged him close to his chest. He turned back to his husband, the man walking over to wrap his arms around both of them in added comfort.

 

“Oh, Petey-pie, what are you doing up, honeybun?” the blonde whispered as he rubbed their son’s back in comfort. “Of course Daddy isn’t dying. His heart just needs a little work done. Like you and Daddy do in his lab with his robots? He just needs a minor surgery and then he’ll be all better, I promise.”

 

“You pinky promise, Papa?” the boy asked adorably, head still buried in his Daddy’s neck but sticking his pinky out to the blonde.

 

“Yes I pinky promise, Petey,” Steve said as he wrapped his pinky (which was bigger than the five year old’s middle finger) around the boy’s pinky finger in promise – adding a kiss on his tiny hand for good measure.

 

“Now, why were you up little one, did you have a bad dream?” the blonde asked after releasing the two and taking a step back to look at Peter.

 

“Yeah,” the boy said, slightly muffled from still being curled up around Tony.

 

“What was your bad dream about, Petey-pie?” the brunette asked as he started swaying the two back and forth.

 

“I dreamed that my toys came alive and were really mean to me,” the boy said quietly. Tony found himself laughing a little at that, smiling at his son when he pulled back to glare a little at his father for laughing.

 

“I’m sorry baby, that’s a scary dream,” he said in reassurance.

 

“You having heart surgery is scarier,” the boy said before tightening his hold on the genius.

 

“Nuh uh,” Steve said in disagreement. “Your Daddy will be fine, toys coming to life and being mean is **way** scarier.”

 

“Yeah Pete, and just think; if they just came to life and were **_nice_** , you could have them help you steal cookies!” Tony said in excitement as he walked to two over to the cookie jar.

 

“Tony…” Steve said, causing the two brunettes to turn and collectively pout at the blonde. He immediately caved. The Stark pout was another kryptonite of the blonde’s.

 

“Just one, then back to bed Pete.”

 

“Can you take me back to bed, Daddy?” Peter asked after taking a bite from the cookie Tony had handed him.

 

He looked over at his husband, who shared a look of empathy with the man.

 

“Of course, baby,” Tony said after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and tightening his arms around him in a hug. They walked back over to Steve to say goodnight.

 

“Sweet dreams, Petey,” Steve said before planting a kiss on his cheek.

 

“Night Papa,” the boy said before sleepily resting his head on his dad’s shoulder again, still munching on his cookie. _Not that the genius minded the crumbs, of course._

 

“Do you need to work tonight, beloved?” Steve asked Tony before they left.

 

“No, not tonight,” the genius confirmed as he shifted the boy in his arms.

 

“Good, then I’ll be waiting for you in the bedroom,” the blonde said with a wink before stealing a quick kiss from the brunette’s lips.

 

He couldn’t help smiling all the way to Peter’s room.


	24. Chapter 24

She ended up spending the entire weekend with Nat and Clint. They were awesome, and way more fun than her family had been lately. Plus it was a nice distraction from all the bad luck she’s had recently.

 

If one more thing was added to her current pile of crap – she might lose it.

 

But hanging with her pseudo aunt and uncle was always fun. The two always stocked up on junk food and took her out for fun grown up stuff.

 

Like this weekend, when they took her paintballing. It. Was. Amazing.

 

Clint still complained about a ‘cheap shot’ from Nat while she drove the three to the mansion. The red head scoffed without verbally responding, throwing a look the man’s way as he poked the bruise on his ribs.

 

“It wasn’t a cheap shot, Clint,” Joey piped in, winking at Nat who did the same in the rear view mirror.

 

“Haven’t you two teamed up against me enough?” the grown man said with a pout as Nat turned into the driveway.

 

“Hey, I side with you when it comes to Steve, don’t I?” the teen said in her defense as the car came to a stop in front of the entrance. She gathered her overnight bag and opened the door to get out.

 

“Yeah yeah, but you’d side with anyone against Steve,” Clint pointed out as he turned around in his seat. “Hey, you’re welcome over anytime kiddo,” he said as Nat turned around to smile at her in added confirmation.

 

“Thanks guys, I’ll see you later,” Joey said as she got out of their car and headed into the mansion. If she can pull it off, she’s going to plan her eighteenth birthday – which is in several weeks – to play paintball with a small group. Peter wouldn’t be able to play, but he could cheer and watch them from the sidelines.

 

She stepped out of the elevator and walked into the living room to find Peter and Steve drawing on the couch together. They both looked up and smiled at her, turning their attention to her to greet the teen.

 

“Joey! You’re back!” Peter said as he ran around the coffee table to hug her. She easily caught her little brother, returning the embrace as she walked the two back over to Steve. She released the boy who moved to curl up on the couch between the two.

 

“Did you have fun?” Steve asked as he shifted on the couch to face her fully, placing his drawing pad on the coffee table next to him.

 

“Oh heck yes! Nat and Clint let me do anything I want, unlike _some_ people,” she said with a wink at her Pop. The man rolled his eyes before responding.

 

“So terribly sorry for the torture you go through with having me as your parent. You should go on Oprah,” the blonde said sarcastically.

 

“Actually,” she teased with a smile, “I’d rather go on Ellen. You know, gay teen with gay dads on a gay woman’s talk show. It’d be _fabulous_. But either way, I’d love to talk crap about you on TV.” He glared at her in response before a smile broke across his face.

 

“What would you say about Papa, Joey?” Peter asked, most of his attention back to his drawing of a …dog?

 

“What _wouldn’t_ I say about him, Pete? He makes us eat vegetables, and go to bed early on school nights, **and** he won’t let me punch a girl in the face.” She stole a glance at her Pop whose eyes rolled again, though he was also smiling.

 

Peter giggled at her before giving her that signature Tony smirk.

 

“That doesn’t make him a bad Papa, Joey,” the boy chided at her.

 

“I never said he was bad,” she clarified, “just that I wanted to tease him on national television.”

 

“Because I’m so bad?” Steve asked with a brow raised.

 

“Aw, of course not. You are a perfectly adequate parent,” she said with a shit eating grin. His jaw hooked to the side as he raised his brows at her. That ‘ _we really going there’?_ look she’d seen from him a million times.

 

“What’s adekit mean?” Peter asked the two, seemingly unaware of them mock-glaring at each other as he continued coloring.

 

“Ade **qu** ate means meeting the bare minimum. She’s saying I’m an **okay** parent,” Steve answered the boy.

 

“Joey,” Peter said astonished. “That’s not very nice. Papa always calls you a good girl when you’re not around.” Her eyes sprung open at that, looking up at Steve who eyes were equally wide – though his cheeks were also blushed pink.

 

“He does?” she asked, still wearily eyeing the man.

 

“Peter, I don’t think I used those words…” Steve began. “But yeah, I do brag about you a lot. Apparently,” the blonde said pointedly to the boy, hands moving to his hips in mock anger. The boy giggled in response while Joey found herself smiling as warmth filled her chest.

 

“But see Joey?” Peter asked as he pushed Steve back to sit in his lap and face Joey. “He’s the best Papa. You gotta say it,” he finished with crossing his arms in challenge. She glared at the boy, both for being right and calling her out on it.

 

“Fine,” she said, “Steven? You are the best Papa.” She meant it, and hoped he could see past her attempt at bad humor with the sarcasm and using his first name.

 

He only smiled back at her, arms wrapping around Peter to hug the boy.

 

“Thank you…Peter,” he said, laughing immediately at his own joke as Joey grabbed a pillow and smacked it on his head _. He was the biggest troll_ …

 

“Alright! Alright. Thank you Peter _and_ Joey,” he said, quickly kissing the boy’s cheek before he gently pushed the boy off his lap. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make dinner,” he said as he walked to the kitchen.

 

“Where’s Dad, huh squirt?” she asked the boy as she grabbed a blank page and some crayons to start a drawing.

 

“He’s working in his lab, even though he shouldn’t be…” Peter said sadly.

 

“Why not?” she asked as she drew some flowers.

 

“I heard Papa and Daddy talking about Daddy’s heart. He said he’ll need surgery,” he said with a frown as he continued with his artwork. “But Papa promised he’d be okay.” Joey dropped her crayons as the words hit her like a slap to the face.

 

She sat there frozen, realization settling in her stomach.

 

These last few months have been hard. A lot has been on her plate…and her cup of sanity was already dangerously close to spilling over.

 

So of course she just found out that not only was her dad in danger of dying…but he kept it from her.

 

The same parent who was always straight forward and honest with her. Who apparently decided to tell his five year old son first.

 

_Well to be fair_ , she thought bitterly to herself, _he was a real Stark – so it made sense._

 

She looked down at the boy, who was thankfully still concentrating on his drawing, before quietly getting up and making her way to Tony’s lab.

 

A small voice inside told her she was being irrational, but that voice was squashed down by the anger she felt in her bones.

 

But suddenly, the word ‘selfish’ crossed her mind in big block letters and she suddenly found herself stopping in her tracks.

 

Holy shit.

 

She was totally being selfish.

 

She was about to go yell at a man whose heart was literally hurting him – to the point that he needed surgery – for not telling her sooner.

 

_Plus_ , the rational side of her brain added, _you_ _literally spent the entire weekend away from them_.

 

_‘I need heart surgery’ is not something you welcome someone back with_.

 

She turned sharply on her heels, walking to her bedroom to cool off. She had a lot of pent up anger lately, Tony didn’t deserve that kind of wrath.

 

One of them, or both, will tell her when they’re ready.


	25. Chapter 25

The next day he went to work, promising Tony he’d take off the rest of the week. He had some free time, surprisingly, so he joined his team for some lunch.

 

“Uh…Cap?” Sam asked at the entrance to the break area. Steve and Natasha were sitting on the couch together while Clint and Thor had gone out to get the food.

 

“Yeah?” Steve asked as he sat up towards the man.

 

“So…learning my lesson from last time. Someone’s here to see you and they definitely know who you are…”

 

“Stone?” he asked incredulously, standing up to face the man. He felt Natasha’s small hand on his wrist, holding him in place.

 

“No, no sorry – Carolyn’s here. Not psychopath, I would’ve knocked him out myself,” Sam said pointedly.

 

“Sam…” the blonde said tiredly.

 

“Right. Anyway, I’m happy to send her away if you want me to, Cap, just let me know.”

 

Steve felt himself soften at that, feeling exhausted from even **thinking** of seeing that woman as he also felt Natasha release her grip.

 

“I’d be more than happy to _talk_ to her,” Natasha piped in.

 

“Romanoff, stay out of this,” Steve said without any real anger. “I’ll talk to her Sam, where is she?” he asked the man. Sam looked confused back at Steve.

 

“You sure you don’t wanna meet her in your office? You know, home turf and all that.”

 

“She won’t be here long enough to sit down,” Steve said evenly. He ignored Nat ‘ooh’ing in encouragement behind him and focused on the one with the information.

 

“Front entrance, I didn’t feel like letting her inside,” Sam said with a smile. Steve returned it, grateful for his friend as he moved to face the woman he’s never even officially met.

 

He was told to stay at home when his mom took Lacy back to Carolyn’s house to get her stuff after she’d kicked her out.

 

Lacy, who was always kind to Steve, told him about his mom giving the ‘verbal ass-kicking of a lifetime’ to that woman. That would’ve been the only other contact he’d had with her, other than calling her the day her granddaughter was born and her daughter died.

 

Which doesn’t count…since it was a phone call. And there was one email.

 

So even though this would be the first time he would be meeting her face to face, he decided it would be short. No need to have a sit down when he could limit this to three minutes.

 

He opened the door and the woman he’d seen pictures of was standing there waiting. However, this woman was significantly older looking. Probably from all the years of hate.

 

“Is this a medical emergency?” he asked her as he kept half his body inside the building. She rolled her eyes at him and stood up straighter to respond.

 

“No, obviously. This is about your niece…”

 

“My daughter,” he corrected her. She sneered at him but didn’t address that further.

 

“ **Joey** ,” she said condescendingly, “left lunch in such a hurry last week she forgot her scarf. I was hoping you could give it back.” She reached into her purse and thrust a purple scarf that he’d definitely seen Jo wearing into his arms.

 

He grabbed it with one hand, still focusing on the word ‘lunch.’

 

“Lunch?” he whispered aloud, causing the older woman to look genuinely shocked at the news.

 

“She didn’t tell you?” she asked sincerely. “Doesn’t sound like the greatest father-daughter relationship…” He stared back at her for a moment, wondering why the fuck he hadn’t asked Sam to send her packing.

 

“Carolyn, it was a genuine displeasure meeting you for the first time. You should fly back home…and stay the hell away from my kid,” he growled out before taking a step back and closing the door in her face. She shouted in protest, but Steve ignored that in favor of crashing in on himself.

 

He leaned against the door, listening to her drive away as he stared at the scarf in his hands.

 

He partially understands why Joey wouldn’t tell him. She had snuck out to see her homophobic grandmother while she lied to him about it. He’d be furious to find that out. And of course he was, but he was also upset about the amount of secrets she’s been keeping from him lately.

 

So he tried to dial the anger down a notch, remembering she was also still a kid.

 

His kid.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He got home late that evening, trying to squeeze a week’s worth of work into a day. At the very least it meant he could sleep in tomorrow.

 

But unfortunately, it also meant talking to her tonight. When he was already incredibly exhausted and just wanted to curl up with his husband.

 

_OH SHIT HIS HUSBAND_

 

His husband, who was having surgery next week. Heart surgery. And had planned on telling Joey today, telling the blonde he hadn’t wanted to ruin her fun weekend. He was suddenly scrambling his brain trying to remember if he’d wanted Steve to sit in for that conversation…

 

…or would he have already told her about the surgery before Steve had come home?

 

The elevators dinged open, shaking him out of his thoughts as he walked into the living room. It was empty, Steve checking his watch to see it was a little after nine. So Peter was in bed…but where was his husband and daughter? He walked into the kitchen, finding no one in there either. His brows furrowed as he decided to check his husband’s lab.

 

He could hear the loud speaker system on the stairs as he descended down, smiling to himself as he heard ACDC blasting from his husband’s lab. He punched in the code Tony had given him long ago, also asking Jarvis to turn the music down a smidge so he could have an actual conversation with the man.

 

“Tony?” he called out, looking around for his husband.

 

“Here Steve!” he heard his muffled husband’s shout.

 

“Tony?” he asked again as he walked towards the sound of his voice, still unable to see him. The brunette wheeled out from under one of his many old cars, smiling at the blonde while covered in motor oil.

 

“Hey baby, I thought you were working late?” he said as he sat up and grabbed a towel to wipe his hands off, turning to the blonde.

 

“This is late for me,” he said with a smile as the man stood up to walk over to him. Steve took a step back from the smaller man, a smile on his face as he looked between his own clean uniform and Tony’s dirty lab-wear. The brunette pouted at the distance, which made Steve roll his eyes before closing the gap and kissing the man – still keeping his clothes out of reach of the oily and always grabby hands.

 

“If you let me pay for dry-cleaning, I could dirty that uniform for you…” Tony said with a mischievous smile. Steve felt himself blush, all the stress and anger from today slowly draining out of his body at finally seeing his husband. An idea popped into his head…but the thought of either of his kids seeing him in between the lab and their bedroom made the blonde hesitate.

 

“Where’s Joey?” he asked.

 

“She went to bed early,” Tony said with a frown. “Said she wasn’t feeling well. I think she had a bad day at school…” he said with concern. That wasn’t exactly a new occurrence for Jo. And it actually put the blonde’s mind at ease, knowing both kids were safe and home in bed. Where he and his husband should probably be heading to…

 

“Did you tell her about your surgery?” Steve made himself ask, needing clarification.

 

“No, I was going to but I decided I wanted you with me to tell her,” the smaller man said with a small blush on his cheeks.

 

Steve hummed in thought as he slowly started unbuttoning his button down shirt. Tony stared at his hands, a smile spreading across his face as he watched his husband undress. The brunette raised a brow at the blonde, who smirked back at him before idly throwing his uniform top over the nearest chair closest to them.

 

“Not that I in any way want to stop you…” Tony said with a smile, “but what exactly are you doing there, hot stuff?”

 

“Figured I’d compromise,” the blonde said as if it was obvious, closing the gap between them to give his husband the kiss he deserved. He used his strong arms to hoist the smaller man into his arms, not caring if his undershirt got ruined as Tony laughed in delight.

 

“You done for tonight?” the blonde asked between attacking his lips and grabbing the man’s perfect bubble butt. Tony mumbled something that apparently Jarvis understood, as the lab effectively shut down around them. Steve took that as a yes and proceeded to walk the two all the way back to their bedroom, Tony kissing him the whole way.

 

They laid in bed together after shower sex, the two curled up facing each other as Steve finished telling him what happened at work today.

 

“Shit,” Tony said in sympathy, “are you going to tell Joey that you know?” Steve absently rubbed his thumb over his husband’s cheek before responding.

 

“I was…but now I’m not so sure,” he answered honestly. Those brown eyes stayed locked on his, Tony only offered a half-smile in return. Then the brunette scoffed before rolling over on the bed, backing up into Steve to be the small spoon.

 

“Did we break a mirror or something? What’s with all this shitty luck lately?” Tony mumbled as he reached back to grab Steve’s arms to wrap around himself. The blonde couldn’t help but chuckle behind him, since he had been wondering the same thing.

 

“I don’t know, but we need a vacation soon,” Steve suggested. “Maybe just the two of us at a secluded beach?” he asked with a smile.

 

“That. Sounds. Amazing.”

 

Steve hummed in agreement, tightening his arms around his love at the thought.

 

“What would we be doing on this secluded beach?” Tony asked. Steve couldn’t help but laugh at that, kissing the back of his husband’s head before answering him.

 

“Well,” Steve began as he continued kissing him, “we’d lay out in the sun, rub sun screen on each other…”

 

“Yeah, what else would we be rubbing, huh?” the brunette teased. Steve chose to ignore him in favor of painting the picture in his mind.

 

“We’d swim in the waves together, walk hand in hand along the sand, maybe go paddle boarding and yes, clearly we would screw like rabbits on every surface area we can. I thought that was obvious – did you think I didn’t know who I was married to?” he asked teasingly. Tony laughed in his arms, an experience Steve will never tire of, before quickly chiming in.

 

“Stop pretending you’re the innocent one here, I’ve experienced your kinks first hand, mister,” the brunette said while pointedly rubbing his ass into Steve’s crotch.

 

“And if you want to keep seeing them I suggest you go to sleep with me.” Tony huffed in response, probably pouting but Steve couldn’t see his beautiful face.

 

“Well still, that’s a fantastic idea. Let’s go this weekend.”

 

“You have surgery…” Steve argued.

 

“…next week!” the brunette pointed out. “Come on, a spontaneous romantic trip is just what we need!” Steve couldn’t find a single argument against that, humming in approval as he closed his eyes to finally sleep.

 

“You’re right,” Steve said quietly.

 

“Say that again, just for the record,” Tony teased between yawns. Steve found himself smiling despite his ridiculous man.

 

“You are right, my love,” he whispered into his hair. “Now go to sleep.”

 

“Love you handsome,” Tony sleepily whispered.

 

“Love you too, sexy,” Steve replied, finally feeling sleep claim him.


	26. Chapter 26

Cara had approached her during lunch to ask if they could hang out after school.

 

“I need to apologize for what happened and…everything else,” she said sincerely to Joey after sitting across from her at the small table.

 

“I don’t think my…parents would be okay with that,” she said, careful of using ‘dads’ amongst her peers.

 

“I’m sure your dads’ would be fine with it!” she encouraged, seriously looking excited at the prospect of the two hanging out.

 

Which was obviously suspicious.

 

But her heart that had basically loved this girl from second grade let that slide for now. It wouldn’t hurt to text her dads…they’d probably say no anyway. She pulls out her phone as her excitement grew, doing her best to keep her poker face in front of Cara.

 

[Hey dads, is it cool if I hang out with Xavier after school today?] she lied as she messaged their group chat.

 

[Cool with me, just need you home by dinner] Tony replied.

 

[Home by six, Jo] Steve reiterated, surprisingly agreeing automatically.

 

[Sweet! Thanks Dads ♡]

 

“So,” she said turning back to Cara, “what did you have in mind?”

 

“I don’t know, something cliché for teenage girls? Starbucks? Frozen yogurt?” Joey considered the options, continuing to push back the voice that was asking why she suddenly wanted to get to know her as she looked at that beautiful face.

 

“Frozen yogurt sounds good…” she began before being interrupted by some stupid freshman whose name she would never bother to learn.

 

“You two going to start making out or what?” he sneered, encouraged by the small group of fellow fuckboys behind him.

 

“Oh honey, don’t pretend like you could handle that. You and your baby carrot dick would cum in your pants **so fast** , it wouldn’t be worth it,” Cara quipped at the boy. Most of the cafeteria had started to quiet to listen in on this interaction, so an uproar was heard of laughter and ‘ooh’s that chorused alerting the rest of the cafeteria.

 

Mrs. Jacobson and Ms. Lang approached the group quickly before the boy could really say anything in retaliation.

 

He did find it important to whisper something to the two, “ _you’ll pay for that_.” It was not intimidating coming from such a short thing whose balls hadn’t dropped yet, so naturally the two teens laughed loudly in response. The two teachers had reached them and began shooing the boys away from the pair.

 

“Ms. Barnes, Ms. Sams, if you two could keep your personal lives private, that would be greatly appreciated,” Mrs. Jacobson said with a smile as Ms. Lang finished quieting down the rest of the teens. The bell rang a moment later, and they smiled as they heard Ms. Lang groan in protest about ‘just getting them quiet’ when the crowd collectively started talking and moving to exit the cafeteria.

 

“Ladies,” Ms. Lang said seriously as they were passing her to get back to class, “next time let’s refrain from burning the freshman publically, shall we?” she said with a wink.

 

For the first time in her life, she finally got what _girl power_ meant.

 

Granted, she was super proud that her dads are intersectional feminists, but none of the three had ever given her that feeling.

 

Guilt crept in the back of her mind with that thought. Then that guilt immediately dissipated when Cara grabbed her hand briefly amongst the crowd.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She soaked in Cara’s words as she walked to the elevator. She sounded genuine in her apology and kept the rest of the conversation light as she took them to the arcade next door. Joey kicked her ass in skee ball. That thought brought a smile to her face as she watched the numbers go to up to their floor.

 

She takes off her jacket and backpack, finishing with her shoes before she walked towards the sounds of her parents talking in the kitchen.

 

“I did not say Brad Pit was hotter than you!” she heard her Dad say in protest, almost making her back track her steps to avoid whatever that was about. She continued on her journey anyway, knowing it was futile to avoid them.

 

“Yes you absolutely did say that!” her Pop retaliated, standing by the giant pot of marinara sauce he had on the stove.

 

“I said **ninety-six Brad Pitt**. From _1996_.” They were interrupted by Joey making her presence known as she walked directly to smell the sauce. Steve stood in front of the pot and raised his brows at her.

 

“Oh hello, where have you been?” he waved his hands as he asked. He did that whenever he talked, it was just more animated the more passionate he was about his words.

 

“Chill Pop, I’m like ten minutes late,” she said before deeply inhaling the sweet smell of the sauce. It was also in arm reach, but he blocked that too as they heard Tony pipe in.

 

“You’re twenty-four minutes late Jo,” he said. “That’s twenty-four minutes of me keeping your Pop from call the police. Or the president.” She stifled a laugh at that when Steve just squinted at her before he turned back to his husband.

 

“I am not that bad!” Steve said, crossing his arms in defense.

 

“You’re right sorry,” Tony corrected himself, “Not the president – just the police. And the National Guard.”

 

“Tony…” Steve said pointedly as Joey didn’t bother stifling that laugh. “Hey,” Steve’s attention turning to the teen, “you still need to answer my question,” he finished with a pointed finger in her direction. He turned his attention back to the sauce, revealing more on the stove for Joey to make out they were having chicken parmesan for dinner. She took another whiff as she smelled garlic bread in the oven.

 

“I got distracted,” she said as she tried to reach around his giant frame to grab a piece of chicken. He saw and blocked her again. “If dinner’s not ready by six why can’t I be a little late?”

 

“Half an hour is not a _little late_ , especially given your track record,” Steve said without looking at her, focusing on the oven that had just beeped.

 

“Twenty four minutes isn’t half an hour,” she muttered.

 

“It’s close enough to start to worry. Even your backstabbing father was concerned…”

 

“That was like twenty years ago and you are so much hotter than Brad Pitt now!” Tony said with a small whine. Joey used that opportunity to pick off some chicken to dip in the sauce and taste, humming in happiness before Steve caught her in the act.

 

But before he could reprimand her, Tony had made a noise when he had tried to sneak off a piece of garlic bread – alerting the blonde – who swatted at the man in disapproval.

 

“Hey! Both of you, go sit down. Before I put you both in time out,” he chastised them as Joey couldn’t help but laugh along with Tony as they only walked a few feet away to the other side of the kitchen island; both watching him and oogling at the food.

 

“I’m plating them you heathens, go actually sit down at the table,” he scolded them without turning around. She and her Dad shared a look before laughing again, walking over to wait at the table for ‘the artist’ to finish his masterpiece.

 

“Well,” her Pop sighed with disappointment as he brought them all plates in one go, “the reason I wanted you **home on time** was because we needed to discuss something with you, and I was hoping to do it before dinner.” Joey felt herself freeze at that, not immediately digging into her plate as she watched the two of them carefully.

 

She couldn’t confirm that it was about Tony’s heart, and for once was smart enough to not reveal something aloud she’d get in trouble for. So she remained quiet while Tony started picking at the garlic bread, waiting for them to reveal themselves.

 

“It’s totally not a big deal,” the brunette tried to say, “I just need minor heart surgery, scheduled for next week–”

 

“Next week?” she asked, unaware of that part. “Why is it being done so urgently if it’s minor?”

 

“He’s getting it done quickly to put everyone’s mind at ease. It’s not because we couldn’t put off such a procedure for a while, he’s not dying from this – I promise,” Steve said as he took a drink of his water. She looked back at Tony who smiled at her in response.

 

She didn’t return the gesture.

 

“Do you have any questions?” Steve asked her gently. She felt her jaw lock to the side as she shook her head no, staring at her plate in front of her.

 

“Your Pop and I talked about taking you guys on vacation after I’m done recovering. Like Disney world or somewhere fun after all the shit we’ve been going through.” She found herself smiling at that, still unable to look up at the men.

 

“Jo, do you want to talk about it?” she heard her Pop ask. She again shook her head no. “Okay, can I ask **you** a question now?” She looked up at him then, frowning when she saw the angry look on his face. She could see Tony throwing a glare in his direction but didn’t respond, just kept staring at Steve to gage his reaction.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me about seeing Carolyn last week?” _Oh, right_.

 

“Because I figured you’d get mad,” she said before waving her hands in his direction to prove her point.

 

“I’m not thrilled you went behind my back…”

 

“You wouldn’t have let me see her anyway!” she said, feeling her own anger grow in her chest at this emotional ambush.

 

“You don’t know that, kiddo,” Tony piped in softly, “you still could’ve asked us or at least told us about it after.” She glared a little at the man, unable to stop the words from coming out.

 

“Like you told me about your heart? When you found out a week ago?” she snapped at him, seeing them both draw back in surprise. “Peter told me on Sunday.”

 

“Joey…” the brunette said sadly.

 

“Those two aren’t the same and you know it!” Steve snapped.

 

“No, but you throw it in my face that I’ve kept something from you guys when–”

 

“–sneaking behind your parents back to see your estranged _homophobic_ grandmother is not the same as us telling you about your father’s upcoming surgery,” Steve snapped.

 

“I had lunch with a woman I have every right to see, and you decided to wait to tell me I could lose another dad.” The words tasted like acid coming out of her mouth, her fear of everything that’s happened finally getting to her. But she still couldn’t stop herself.

 

“The same man that I thought was straight forward with me since day one, only to find out you also made sure to tell your **real kid** first,” she snapped at the brunette, tears forming in her eyes at seeing them form in his.

 

“That is enough, Josephine,” Steve growled out at her. She looked over at him, angry tears spilling down her cheeks as she stared down his fiery blue eyes.

 

“Why? Because I’m right?” she sassed. The blonde took a long breath before continuing in a lower tone.

 

“No. But do you remember when I told you _not to give me a reason_ to do **something**? Because you’re currently giving me several…” It was her turn to sit back in surprise, not initially believing he would actually go through with his threat.

 

Sure seemed like it now.

 

She swallowed her anger enough to not challenge him any further; not particularly wanting to get her ass tanned this evening. He’d done it once before, and he was way harsher than her Dad had been.

                                          

She also knew herself enough to know she wouldn’t be able to sit there and play nice, excusing herself from the table in favor of going to bed early again.

 

She had mixed feelings when neither made a move to stop her.


	27. Chapter 27

FLASHBACK

 

Her terrible two’s hit three weeks before her actual birthday, making Steve wish he had some estranged cousin or uncle he could stay with for the next year – she was that bad.

 

Steve sat in the living room, glaring at the girl in question who was screaming bloody murder because she _refused to put on clothes_.

 

_That was it._

_Clearly, she was being tortured_.

 

He had no idea how his brother had this much patience, watching him chase her around with a diaper, pleading to the toddler.

 

“Just put on the diaper, I won’t make you wear anything else.”

 

“Noooooo,” she cried out dramatically, flopping herself on the ground by Steve’s feet for good measure. Steve just continued drawing, focusing on the imaginary castle he was creating instead of the toddler currently giving him a headache.

 

“Yo, Picasney? A little help here?” his brother asked exasperatedly. The blonde rolled his eyes from the nickname, responding by bringing his feet up on the couch and away from the child currently rolling on the floor in protest.

 

He could feel his brother glaring at him, but chose to ignore it.

 

“Josephine,” Bucky tried reasoning with the tyrant. “You’re not potty trained yet, you have to at _least_ wear a diaper.”

 

“No,” she cried again, sitting up and pouting at the man.

 

“Just put it on her,” Steve said in frustration, wishing not for the first time there was a little piece and quiet in his own home.

 

“You wanna try? Please, be my guest,” his brother retorted. Buck threw the diaper on top of his drawing, hands on his hips as he stared at his little brother.

 

Steve rolled his eyes, angrily putting his drawing aside to grab the diaper. He glared at his brother before reaching down and simply pulling the girl up to lie on the couch next to him. He took advantage of her confused look and quickly put the diaper on her bottom, finishing with the clasps before she knew what had happened.

 

“Noooo,” she whined immediately, pudgy fingers trying to undo what he did. Steve simply smirked at his brother before grabbing his drawing pad once more.

 

He heard Bucky grumble above him, muttering something about how he ‘ _tired her out first’_ as the man watched the toddler start crying again.

 

“Sounds like someone could use a nap,” Steve said loudly and pointedly, not caring that her cries increased at the prospect. Buck simply glared back at him, hands on his hips before he responded back.

 

“It’s too early for her nap.”

 

“What if you just sedate her?” he asked, moving his drawing pad out of the way when she started kicking next to him in protest; still screaming.

 

“What if you read to her?” Bucky suggested. Steve rolled his eyes as he saw Joey sit up at that, turning to the blonde.

 

“Story Steeb?” she asked as she rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists. He looked back at his brother who was giving him his own pleading look, huffing before finally relenting.

 

“Go pick out a few books, Jo,” he said as he glared at his brother, seeing her scramble off the couch out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Don’t give me that look, she likes your reading better,” Bucky said as he plopped down on the couch next to Steve. Joey returned a moment later, an entire stack of books in her tiny arms – so much so that a few dropped along the way.

 

She not so gracefully shoved the books next to Steve before crawling up on the couch and onto his lap. He groaned in pain when she stepped on his crotch, holding his frustration in to let her move around enough to finally sit on his lap.

 

He rolled his eyes as she took a few more seconds to settle down, sitting her back against his chest as she reached over for the book on top of the pile and handed it to Steve.

 

“Goldilocks, huh? I love that story,” Bucky praised his toddler as she turned to beam at him. She stuck her thumb in her mouth, waiting expectantly for Steve to begin.

 

He reluctantly started reading, rolling his eyes again when his brother leaned against his shoulder to listen as well.

 

His mom was honestly better at this, and had way more patience, especially when it came to the tiny tyrant terrorist. He wished she was back from work, knowing he wasn’t as good a reader as she was and not particularly wanting to entertain the screaming goblin.

 

Even if she did look cute curled up on him, occasionally pointing a finger at a picture on the page and garbling a response around her thumb. He still would’ve liked to have drawn in peace…just once after she’d been born.

 

After several books, he looked over to see his brother was knocked out, practically drooling on the teenager. Steve then looked down, seeing Joey was still wide awake before he sighed heavily.

 

As gently as possible, he brought the toddler up into his arms while laying his brother down on the couch. The man was exhausted and kept sleeping as Joey quietly sat in Steve’s arms, the teen moving some books out of the way so his brother could lie more comfortably.

 

“Dada nap,” she said quietly.

 

“Yeah, I think you tired him out,” he said as he took the two into the kitchen. “What do you want for lunch little one? PB&J?” he asked as he set her down in her high-seat.

 

“Pease?” she asked with a small smile. Steve couldn’t help smiling back at her for that. She was still a cutie, despite her many faults.

 

She waited patiently, surprising the blonde further, until he brought the sandwich and sliced banana over to watch her eat.

 

He found himself thinking about Lacy again, and how much this little girl deserved a mom. Also had him thinking, not for the first time, that he would probably never have kids.

 

He turned away from her for a moment, cleaning up in the kitchen before turning back and gawking at the mess she made. _How long had he turned around for?_

 

She was covered in peanut butter and jelly, most of it on her body and not in her mouth. Her banana was squished between her fingers and also somehow in her brown curls. He growled a little in frustration, deciding on whether or not he would wake his brother up to deal with her.

 

“You need a bath,” he said quietly, waiting expectantly for the tantrum to begin.

 

“Bubbies?” she asked with glee, profoundly surprising the teen.

 

She _hated_ baths, especially when they were during the day. It almost felt like a trick… _but damn did that girl also love her some bubble baths._

 

“Sure, squirt,” he said, feeling as exhausted as Bucky as he carefully pulled her up and out of her chair and took her into the bathroom. He made sure the water was warm enough before adding the bubbles, helping Jo take off her diaper then plop down in the tub.

 

He sat next to her on the floor watching her, a small smile appearing on his face when she started singing to herself quietly. She was playing with the bubbles, giggling to herself when they tickled her as she made a hat out of them. He let her play for a few more minutes before gently taking a washrag to wash the remnants of her lunch off her body and shampooing her hair.

 

She continued singing quietly, not protesting even when he washed her face. After he rinsed her off, he sat back a little to just let her play some more. She put more of the bubbles on her face before turning to the blonde.

 

The toddler let out a growl, curling her little hands into what he assumed were monster claws as she roared at him.

 

Another smile broke across his face, genuinely laughing at this little ridiculous child.

 

“Are you a monster?” he asked fondly, watching her cover her body in more bubbles.

 

“Sea mons’er,” she clarified before dunking herself underwater. When she came back up, sans bubbles, she reached over for her rubber ducky, pretending it was screaming at her in terror before she then pretended to eat it.

 

He laughed fondly and continued watching her terrorize her other bath toys.

 

He heard footsteps a few minutes later, his brother joining them while he wiped his eyes in exhaustion.

 

“Dada! Imma mons’er!” she growled at him. He smiled back at her as he leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms before he responded.

 

“Yup, you are definitely a scary monster, Joey,” he agreed easily, getting a chuckle from the blonde when he threw a wink at his little brother. “Where’s your fin?” he asked as he walked over to help, sitting on the side of the tub while he helped morph the bubbles into a fin on her back.

 

“There you go, now you’re a shark-monster,” Bucky said with a smile.

 

“She’s already **the** scariest monster, Buck,” Steve said pointedly. His brother just rolled his eyes at him and turned back to smile at his daughter.

 

“Thanks, Stevie,” Bucky whispered quietly as they listened to Joey start singing again. He looked over his brother, frowning at seeing just how tired he was.

 

“Don’t mention it…she definitely has her moments,” he teased as they both suddenly cringed – she was practicing her high notes. And was not very good.

 

“Yeah, try and tell me with a straight face you don’t love this kid,” his brother said with a laugh as he then gently shushed the shark-monster. He couldn’t help but smile at his niece, who of course he loved dearly, but damn was she being extra bratty these last few weeks.

 

“Get her dry and we’ll talk,” Steve challenged him, knowing that while this toddler absolutely **hated baths** , she also **refused** to get out.

 

And even mentioning the possibility usually set off a tantrum, cutting his brother some slack by using word play.

 

His brother winced at the thought, looking back at his girl while Steve helped himself up to make his own exit.

 

“Steeb? Where you go?” she asked suddenly.

 

“Uhh,” he stuttered, looking over at his brother who was only smirking back at him. “I’m going for a run, Jo.”

 

“I go?” she asked standing up at that. The bubbles slowly slid down her tiny body as he glared at his brother – the same man currently grabbing a towel and doing his own victory dance.

 

Which was all…so incredibly lame.

 

“You sure you want to get out of the bubbles?” he asked, just to be a shit. It worked for a second, Joey looking down at the bubbles while Bucky gave him the cut-throat sign.

 

“I go running wiff you?” she asked. Steve rolled his eyes fondly while Bucky suddenly took initiative from the situation.

 

“Yup! So we gotta get you out and dry you off,” his brother said as he got her out and dry with little protest. After he mostly dried her off, he reached down to drain the tub – which she took as an opportunity to run past the two, shouting at them.

 

“I go nakey!”

 

Steve couldn’t help the snort of laughter, nor the subsequent full on bellowing at the purely astonished face his big brother was sporting.

 

“Oh Buck,” he said fondly, walking over to his brother and clasping a hand on his shoulder. “You should know better than to try and negotiate with terrorists.” Bucky reached for the leftover bubbles, scooping up a large handful and smashing it in the blonde’s face.

 

Steve laughed at his brother’s antics, returning the favor before a full out bubble war broke out. A moment later the toddler reappeared and quickly joined the fight.

 

There were three casualties – and from the toddler's suggestion - cookies were the only cure.


	28. Chapter 28

After a long discussion with his husband about **timing**.

 

And **patience**.

 

He made Steve promise to give him and Jo some privacy when she got home from school the next day. The blonde didn’t like the idea, but relented in favor of going to the gym floor with Sam to distract himself.

 

Tony needed to have this conversation one on one with his girl.

 

Who apparently also needed convincing that she was in fact _his girl_.

 

He sat waiting for her on the couch, sprawled out comfortably as he swiped across his tablet, playing a game Peter had got him hooked on. He was wearing his reading glasses with the TV on in the background, still dressed in his work clothes sans shoes and jacket. A moment later, the elevators dinged and Joey walked in. Though she threw a small smile in his direction, she still hesitated in the entranceway before coming closer.

 

“Hey,” she offered as he smiled back.

 

“Hey yourself, care to join me?” he said without moving from his lazy position, put still patting the spot next to him. She smiled but stopped herself again, looking around before asking.

 

“Is the _Captain_ here?” Tony found himself chuckling at that, shaking his head in response as he beckoned her again to join him.

 

She did a moment later, sitting down gently on the couch next to him. That had Tony sitting upright, since she normally plopped herself down enthusiastically on the cushions.

 

“I’m sorry,” she started, further surprising the genius. “I didn’t mean what I said,” she finished without looking at him. Tony sat there quietly, letting the silence sit comfortably between them as she continued looking at her lap. He thought those words over, wondering if she was focusing on one thing in particular she was apologizing for or everything she said last night.

 

“I know Peter walked in on you guys talking in private. I know it wasn’t on purpose and I didn’t mean to make you feel bad when…you’re already **literally** feeling bad.”

 

“Jo,” he said gently to get her attention. When she didn’t look up, he repeated “Joey?”

 

She finally raised her gaze, eyes misty as she looked at him.

 

“All I heard out of that… was that you thought Peter was my real kid. **That** , is what hurt,” he explained.

 

“I know, I didn’t mean…” she trailed off, looking away from him again.

 

“No, you apparently don’t know,” he confirmed, meeting her gaze when she looked back at him in surprise.

 

“I don’t know what it’ll take to convince you that you are in fact my child,” he said as he reached a hand out to firmly grasp her shoulder. “But I’m willing to spend the rest of my life convincing you,” he finished with a smile, glad to see her return it. Her smile disappeared a moment later, a frown forming as pain took over her face.

 

“Even with how I reacted to your heart?” she questioned as she brought her knees up to her chest in defense. Tony felt that **damn contraption** squeeze up in his chest again, the pain of seeing her in pain hurting the man. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and squeezed her close to his chest as she stayed curled around herself.

 

“Yes of course. There’s literally nothing that you could do to make me stop loving you. Especially when it comes from the fear of losing one of us. I know I’m not blood but don’t think I love you any less than your other dads,” he said pointedly. He felt her shift in his embrace, turning to wrap her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his neck as she mumbled something in response. He chuckled and tightened his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap as he asked her to repeat herself.

 

She stayed buried in his neck, mumbling something again as the man felt tear drops begin to stain his shirt. He smiled and rubbed her back in comfort.

 

“Third time’s a charm,” he whispered in encouragement, glad to finally hear a chuckle from the teen. She turned to rest her cheek on his shoulder as he waited her out.

 

“I don’t care that you’re not blood. Everyone else does, but I don’t!” she said before hiccupping up more tears.

 

“Who is ‘everyone’?” he asked in sudden curiosity. _Did he need to kick some ass?_

 

She huffed in disapproval before burying her face back in his neck. He couldn’t help the chuckle that came out from his adorable daughter.

 

“Sorry, right, not what we’re focusing on. I also obviously don’t care that you’re not blood,” he said, smiling as he heard her hum happily. He kissed her head before continuing.

 

“And I don’t care that you got mad when you found out something re-traumatizing. That is a normal reaction. You’re allowed to make mistakes, kiddo. You’re still human. You just try not to make them again in the future. And remember…it’s not about your mistakes; it’s about how you handle them. And you have handled them beautifully.” He smiled when she finally relaxed in his arms – still hugging him tight.

 

“I am sorry, though,” she whispered.

 

“I know you are, sweetheart.” He heard her sniffle a little before continuing.

 

“So…you’re really going to be fine?” she asked hesitantly.

 

“Oh honey, I am already _foine_ ,” he said confidently.

 

She pulled back to laugh at him, rolling her eyes fondly at the man before she wiped her eyes with her hands. He chuckled along with her as she shifted more comfortably on his lap to rest the back of her head against his shoulder, the genius wrapping his arms around her once again when she settled back against him. She then gently grabbed one of his hands and started tracing the lines on it.

 

“But you’ll be okay, right? I looked up heart valve replacement and people die from it–”

 

“–I am not dying from minor heart surgery. I’m not even forty yet, for crying out loud! Plus I literally scheduled the greatest surgeon in the world. You’re not inheriting my money just yet, little one,” he said with a smile, glad to see her chuckle at that.

 

“I don’t want your money, I’d rather have you,” she said sincerely. Tony felt his chest warm up, kissing the top of her head as his own eyes got misty. Thoughts of his own childhood flashed through his mind, before he made himself focus on making new memories with his girl. And since he was the king of using humor as a defense mechanism…

 

“¿Porque no los dos?” It got the desired effect, the teen laughing in his embrace. He kissed the top of her head again before suddenly remembering…

 

“Hey, you wanna spend the weekend with Nat and Clint again?” He felt her shift her head around on his chest.

 

May was away on business and Petey was with his grandma. Normally, he’d like his kids to be together when they’re gone…but Ruth – who already had dibs on Peter – was old fashioned…and Joey cussed too much.

 

“I thought your surgery was next week?”

 

“Yeah, well…your Pop and I want to take a beach trip together before, you know…I’m…limited?” he tried, unsure how to phrase it.

 

The message was clear, apparently, as she quickly moved off him in protest.

 

“Yes. I will stay with Nat and Clint, just never speak to me about your ridiculous sex-life ever again, okay?” He laughed and shook his head no in defiance.

 

“I can’t promise that lovebug, but I will do my darndest, **that** I can promise you.” She glared back at him for a moment before responding.

 

“I’m holding you to Disney world, old man,” she said with a smile before getting up to take her stuff to her room.

 

“Please do, little girl,” he said with a cheeky grin. She stuck her tongue out at him, which he of course returned maturely as he watched her go to her room.

 

He took the opportunity to wipe his glasses off with his shirt as he thought about how much he loved that girl. Jarvis interrupted his thoughts with an announcement.

 

“Sir, your husband is asking if it’s safe to come back up?” Tony continued smiling at that.

 

“Yes, J. Tell him it’s safe,” he said with a smile as he again fiddled with his tablet while he waited for his love. A minute later he heard the elevator ding followed by heavy footsteps approaching him in the living room. He glanced up and frowned at the sight before him.

 

His husband was drenched in sweat, soaking his tank top and plastering his sweaty blonde hair back. His basketball shorts hugged his hips as he rested his hand near them, stopping a few feet away from the brunette. Normally Tony would love the chance to jump his husband’s bones, but he was sweaty and Tony was still wearing his expensive work clothes.

 

“Everything okay with Joey?” Steve asked, still out of breath from his workout with Sam.

 

“Yup,” Tony confirmed as he resumed the upgrades on his tablet. “She apologized and was fine with our mini vacation. Except she didn’t want any juicy details…for whatever reason.”

 

“The nerve,” Steve said in agreement, stepping closer to Tony.

 

“Right?” Tony said still looking down, finally quirking his brow when he saw Steve standing directly in front of him.

 

“I would **love** to hear your juicy details,” the blonde said in a low voice; his pupils dilated and hiding his blues.

 

“But…but you’re all sweaty,” Tony said with a frown. His husband laughed and proceeded to kneel before the man, resting his hands on Tony’s knees.

 

“But you’re wearing your glasses, you know that’s my kryptonite,” Steve whined with a pout, batting his long eyelashes at the man.

 

“You’re getting my expensive pants dirty,” Tony pointed out.

 

“I thought you were a billionaire?” the bastard asked before kissing his way up his thigh to his waist. He pulled back suddenly, looking Tony in the eye as the man sat there dumbfounded from the sudden movement.

 

“I mean, that **is** why I married you,” the bastard finished with a raised brow.

 

The brunette bit his lip as he mock-glared at the man.

 

Steve started moving his hands up the brunette’s legs and down around his thighs to fully grab his ass. He then yanked the smaller man towards him, a yelp escaping the genius’ lips. His body slid on the couch and practically onto the floor. Except he didn’t fully fall, because the smug bastard had a hold of the back of his knees as he loomed over the brunette with a sneaky grin.

 

He bent down, almost kissing his lips before whispering to the man.

 

“Do you want me to stop?” the blonde asked. Tony grumbled in response, not wanting to admit how incredibly hot this was…except this was one of Tony’s favorite outfits!

 

But then…his ridiculous husband ground his pelvis down onto his and Tony couldn’t help wrapping a hand around the back of the man’s neck to bring him into a sloppy kiss.

 

His love machine – _seriously and this man called **him** a horndog?_ – hummed in approval before grabbing the smaller man’s ass and pulling the two of them up to a standing position. Tony wrapped his arms around his neck for balance and squawked again, laughing at this ridiculous person he’d been lucky enough to marry.

 

“Don’t worry,” the blonde said between attacking his face with kisses, “I’ll make it up to you,” he said as he squeezed Tony’s ass again.

 

The genius found himself responding with a half growl half moan, turning to bite his love’s neck in hopes of giving the bastard a hickey for all of this.

 

While also making a note to himself to wear his glasses more often…


	29. Chapter 29

He still felt guilty, even though his husband reminded him many times on the plane ride over that they needed this. It wasn’t until he looked out the window and saw the beautiful island that he was finally starting to agree with his husband. He turned to the man who was equally giddy with excitement as they began their descent.

 

Tony tipped the kind workers so they could run straight to their secluded beach on the open ocean, letting the three take care of the luggage as they raced each other to the waves like little kids. They started stripping and running when they hit the sand, leaving on their underwear as they dived into the water.

 

When Steve resurfaced, he frowned at not seeing his husband above the water.

 

But he found him a moment later, when the sneaky bastard grabbed his butt from behind. He yelped as he turned around, the love of his life finally resurfacing.

 

He dunked the man in retaliation, quickly resurfacing him as he brought him up enough to kiss his lips. The two laughed after another wave rolled over them, holding onto each other.

 

After several minutes of playing in the water, the two walked back hand in hand, Tony suddenly dragging the two to a very tempting looking hammock. There was a side table, where a waitress brought two iced teas and assorted fruit. Tony tipped her as well, somehow pulling dry cash out of his wet boxer briefs; which were black and hugged his body just right against his olive skin - which would tan soon on this beach...

 

Steve waited until she left and they had settled in the hammock before searching his husband for his hidden pocket, smiling as it seemed to tickle him. He decided to change tactics and focus on digging his fingers into the man’s ribs as they wrestled in the hammock.

 

He only tortured his love for a moment before wrapping his arms to squeeze the man. He smiled as his sexy love hummed in approval as the two remained in happy silence. The brunette lightly dragged his fingers along Steve’s arm, tracing his skin over and over.

 

They watched puffy white clouds slowly moving across their view in the otherwise blue sky. There was a warm breeze helping sway them slowly back and forth as they laid in the shade.

 

Steve sighed in contentment, feeling truly relaxed with the love of his life in his arms as the swayed in a hammock on a beautiful beach.

 

Later that night they ordered in, feeding each other the decadent dessert and ruining the nice couch.

 

This was one of the few times he was actually glad he married rich. Including this whole trip, of course.

 

After kissing the life out of the blonde, his love wiped some of the chocolate off Steve’s chest to use as lubricant. He combined his chocolate fingers with his sinful tongue to open Steve up, the blonde stretched across the couch and trembling in pleasure. He felt his man make sure to lap up every bit of chocolate before finally claiming him.

 

_Oh yeah, they really needed this._


	30. Chapter 30

Her parents left early Friday morning, and Nat and Clint worked until eight. She thought about that at school, wondering what she’d do with those precious hours between school and promising her pseudo-fam she’d be home on time.

 

Her friend Xavier bumped into her passing through the halls, begging her to go shopping with him after school for his mom’s birthday present. She whined in protest but ultimately relented, deciding to drag him to some of her favorite stores at the dreaded mall.

 

They made sure to get bubble tea as they shopped, Xavier driving her crazy with how many stores he needed to look at to ‘find the perfect gift.’ As she whined audibly for the tenth time, he again ignored her while he talked to the girl behind the counter.

 

She turned around to avoid the flirting when she saw Cara in passing. She quickly walked out of the store and called for her, just now noticing a small child with her – who couldn’t have been more than seven.

 

“Hey Joey!” Cara said with a smile as she brought the kid half-way to meet her.

 

“Hey Cara, who’s this?” she asked with a smile of her own.

 

“Oh, this is Amanda, I’m her nanny,” she explained.

 

“Oh, cool, hi Amanda,” Joey greeted the young girl. She smiled and waved back, remaining silent next to the teen. “What are you guys up to?” she asked Cara.

 

“We’re going to Build-A-Bear!” Amanda answered, shyness suddenly gone.

 

“Aw! Jealous!” Joey said with equal enthusiasm.

 

“You’re welcome to join us,” Cara suggested with a smile.

 

“Oh, I wish,” Jo said sincerely, “but I’m here with Xavier.”

 

“Why would you be friends with someone who doesn’t love stuffed animals?” Cara said teasingly as the man in question walked up to them.

 

“Joey! Hey man, where’d you go?” he said, pointedly avoiding looking at the other teen.

 

“I saw Cara, and frankly got tired of seeing your weak game,” she teased at him. She smiled as Cara laughed at her burn, still smiling with the glare Xavier threw at her.

 

“Look, it’s down to two pieces of jewelry, suffer with your best friend a little longer.”

 

“We should get going, actually,” Cara said, obviously uncomfortable with the cold shoulder Xavier was blatantly throwing her way.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to,” Joey started to say.

 

“Please Cara??” the seven year old asked, affirming their exit.

 

“Text me, maybe we can hang out later,” Cara said with a wink as she turned and walked away with the kid.

 

“Bye,” she said, not trying to be subtle as she stared at her ass. She only stopped when Xavier slapped her shoulder. She turned back to glare at the fucker, rubbing her arm as she shoved him forward to the store.

 

“Don’t you dare text her,” he said as brought the pair of earrings she picked out to the register.

 

“Bitch you ain’t my daddy!” she said in offense.

 

“I’ll tell your daddies,” he said maturely as they finished their transaction and walked out of the store.

 

“They’re on vacation, snitch.”

 

“Then I’ll tell your scary auntie.”

 

“Tasha? She wants me to get laid more than anyone. Speaking of, how’s your sister?” she asked, smiling at the frown he sported on his face.

 

“That’s not funny.”

 

“Neither is telling me what to do.”

 

“I am… _strongly suggesting_ you do not contact that two faced tramp who sat back and watched you get your ass kicked.” That had her stopping in her tracks. It took him a moment to realize, rolling his eyes as he walked back to her.

 

“I told you she apologized for that.”

 

“Come on Joey, don’t be stupid. She’s using you.”

 

“Don’t call me stupid,” she said quietly.

 

“She’s straight! She knows you like her and she’s using that.”

 

“To what?! What dastardly deed is she doing?”

 

“You know she’s still besties with Staci, right?”

 

“That doesn’t mean…”

 

“…that she’s pretending to be gay so you’ll drop your guard?”

 

“Xa–”

 

“So she and her little group of bitches can attack you again?”

 

“You know what? Fuck you Xavier,” she said, unable to think of anything else and turning to walk away from him. Her feelings got the better of her, but she was unable to stop as she walked in the direction of Build-A-Bear.

 

Amanda’s parents met them at the mall, leaving the two of them to hang out with each other for…two hours? It was only six…

 

Cara suggested they leave the mall, walking with her to a nearby field where they sat in the tall grass. She pulled out some stuff out of her purse as Joey watched in confusion.

 

And then realized what Cara was planning.

 

She watched her load her pipe with weed, handing it to Joey as she stared back at her.

 

“I…I don’t smoke,” she countered.

 

“Aw, come one, when the cats are away…the mice will play,” she said as she brought the pipe to her lips to take a hit. She blew the smoke out slowly, Joey doing everything in her power to not get distracted by her gorgeous lips. Cara tried handing the pipe to her again as Joey felt her insides coil as the memory of the last time she’d done this crept in.

 

“I’m not…I’m not supposed to…” she started, unable to think of anything except how hot Cara looked making rings with the smoke. The brown eyed babe didn’t pressure her anymore, smiling as she sat next to her and smoke the bowl herself.

 

If she doesn’t…directly inhale it…she should be fine…right?

 

Like yes, actually smoking could possibly trigger a seizure, but just sitting next to a beautiful woman as the sun sets in their landscape couldn’t hurt…right?

 

Universe was not on her side tonight…as the second-hand smoke did just what the doctor warned it would.

 

When she became conscious again, she was in the backseat of an ambulance with an Adonis paramedic sitting next to her.

 

She has zero interest in men. Not a one. But she thought to herself then and there that she could turn for him.

 

“Hey Joey, you with us?” the God asked with an incredibly sexy Australian accent.

 

“She’s awake?” they heard from the front seat as the panel opened to reveal Sam driving the ambulance.

 

“Sam?” Joey asked dazedly.

 

“You bet your dumb ass it is,” she heard him say.

 

“Where’s Cara?” she asked.

 

“Oh, you mean the stoner who abandoned you? She abandoned you,” Sam said angrily.

 

She rolled her eyes as she tried to sit up, immediately pushed back by the God of a man she had somehow forgotten about. She did not mind his touch, however.

 

“Lay back, young one,” the God said gently.

 

“I don’t need the hospital,” she groaned as she squirmed on the stretcher.

 

“Lucky for you, you can’t make that stupid decision,” she heard Sam snap.

 

“No…you didn’t,” she groaned in complaint.

 

“I didn’t have to, Nat called them.”

 

“Nat?” she asked in utter betrayal.

 

“Yup, and you’re going to Ruth’s after a doctor clears you and you’re staying there until they come back.”

 

She closed her eyes and loudly proclaimed ‘fuck!’ since she wouldn’t be able to again for the next few days.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains corporal punishment, so don't like, don't read :)

FLASHBACK

 

When she was twelve, and about six months before her Dad was taken away from her, she tried pot for the first time.

 

She had made friends with one of her Dad’s coworkers, an eighteen year old that had just started in construction. He was super chill and nice and hung out with her sometimes while Dad was at work and Steve was away in art school.

 

He and his girlfriend lived near them and one day she went to their apartment to wait for her Dad to get off work.

 

There was a weird smell she couldn’t identify when she opened the door, calling to the two to see where they were. They called back to her from their balcony, welcoming her to join them and watch the sunset.

 

Kristen and Bill passed around what she would later learn was a blunt, turning to offer a hit to their guest.

 

Now, two things stuck out to her Dad when she was diagnosed with epilepsy. Alcohol and marijuana both trigger seizures. He had lectured her over and over again the dangers of those things. Not only what it would do to her adolescent brain, but what would happen if she seized around people that could take advantage of her.

 

It got through to her, you know…for the most part.

 

But how bad could it be to _try_ something new with people she trusted?

 

The taste was weird, and the smoke burned a little…but overall?

 

That shit was amazing.

 

She won’t lie, she coughed. A lot. Kristen got her a glass of water and told her the one hit was probably enough for her.

 

She felt like her entire body took a deep breath, settling down in the lawn chair and staring at the sunset. The two teens had a discussion about music while she focused on the warm colors in front of her. Red and orange splashed the sky in a hypnotic way.

 

She could feel her hair blow in the breeze, tickling her cheek as she felt a smile spread across her face. _What was so terrible about this?_

 

She checked her watch, noting that her Dad shouldn’t be home for another couple of hours.

 

Kristen brought them potato chips which was suddenly the most delicious sounding thing in the world to the twelve year old.

 

And it was. Her jaw started to ache with how much she tried to shove in her mouth at once. They laughed and passed snacks around until they heard a familiar truck pull up.

 

Panic shot thru the preteen. She felt frozen in place, little stoned brain trying to think of a way out of this and wondering why he was home early.

 

See…her Dad had kind of asked her to go straight home after school to do her homework. And only then, could she hang out with Bill and Kristen.

 

And she hasn’t even started the homework.

 

“ _Dammit_!” she hissed as she chugged the water jug close to her.

 

“Woah, what’s wrong Jo?” Kristen asked with concern.

 

“My dad’s home!” she whispered harshly, kind of defeating the purpose.

 

“Oh shit,” Bill said before he covered his mouth with his hands.

 

“What do I do? He’ll come over here when he sees I’m not there!” she said frantically, adrenaline helping sober her up. But then there was a knock at the door.

 

“Coming!” Kristen said, the most confident of the three, as she went back inside to answer the door and talk to Bucky.

 

_Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit_

 

“JOSEPHINE!” she heard him bark, startling her as she cowered away from the sliding door. Bill stood, mouth gaping as her Dad suddenly came into view.

 

“She’s twelve!” he yelled at the teen, who flinched back in response.

 

“I’m sorry Bucky.”

 

“And you?” he said in anger, pointing a finger at his daughter. She could literally see him bite his tongue in restricted fury. “Get your ass home and to your room, while I have words with Mr. Anderson here,” he finished with his arms crossed.

 

She gulped as she grabbed her stuff and walked quickly past them, praying he wouldn’t swat her in front of them. She sighed in relief when he didn’t and absolutely hauled ass to get out of there and back home. She knew if she wasn’t in her room, he’d be even angrier, grabbing a quick glass of water for her cotton mouth and slipping into her room as swiftly as possible.

 

She chugged the glass, wishing not for the first time that she had just listened to her Dad. Sometimes her curiosity got the best of her…and sometimes, like today…her stupidity got the best of her.

 

She paced around her room, stepping carefully to be able to listen for the front door opening. He could possibly be calling the cops against Bill.

_Oh man what if he does that to her to prove his point?_

 

Her thoughts are interrupted when the front door opens, freezing in her tracks before quickly sitting on the bed waiting for the inevitable.

 

He was taking his time…which usually meant one thing.

 

He was _pissed_.

 

He never hit her when he was angry. Well, except for the occasional swat. But when he actually spanked her, he made sure he was calm.

 

Which sometimes was scarier than him yelling.

 

She hadn’t realized she had started shaking, no longer a fan of pot when this anxiety alone was punishment enough. Hot tears began spilling down her cheeks as she drummed her fingers against her thigh in anticipation.

 

Which he had once explained to her was the point. To give her time to think about what wrongdoing she had done.

 

Which in this case…might be the worst thing she could’ve possibly done. Like, he’d probably prefer her shoplifting or something.

 

Those thoughts are interrupted when she heard a small knock at her door. She closed her eyes and took a big gulp, before welcoming him in.

 

She opened her eyes again, fidgeting in place as he walked over to her and handed her a bottle of red Gatorade. Her brows furrowed, taking it wordlessly as he sat on her bed a few feet from her. She popped it open to drink it, not particularly liking how calm he was being.

 

She stole a glance at him, checking to see if that was enough. He nodded toward the bottle as she reluctantly finished downing the entire drink and placed it on her side table. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, turning to him with her head downcast.

 

She heard him take a deep breath, wondering if he was mad enough to skip the usual lecture that came before the punishment.

 

“Jo?” he asked quietly, causing more tears to spill down her cheeks as she looked up at him. He had anger and fear and pain combined on his face.

 

Her stomach ached in guilt.

 

“Why shouldn’t you smoke marijuana?”

 

“Cause I’m epileptic and it causes seizures,” she said quietly.

 

“Uh huh, why else?”

 

“Cause it…damages my adolescent brain?” she said with no confidence, the drug affecting her memory.

 

“Yup, anything else?” he asked gently as she sat there thinking a moment.

 

_There was a third thing._

 

“It’s illegal?” she tried. He smiled and nodded before responding.

 

“Yes, also that. Very important factor, but there was one other thing I said.”

 

“Um…” she thought sincerely, wracking her brain for that third thing.

 

“What happens if you have a seizure in the wrong place, kiddo?” he asked calmly, but with a hint of ire in his voice.

 

“People could take advantage of me,” she said remembering, feeling more tears cascade down her cheek.

 

“Just because Bill and Kristen wouldn’t take advantage of you, doesn’t mean they would know what to do if you seized. Either way you put yourself in danger of having a seizure doing something I specifically told you not to do. Which, I’m happy you haven’t had one yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Which is also why you just chugged Gatorade,” he explained carefully.

 

“Joey you know I hate doing this, but you could’ve seriously hurt yourself this evening. And you know I can’t let that go,” he said sadly as he also scoot back. More tears spilled down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut, willing this to be over as quickly as possible. She felt him gently grip her arm and pull her towards him.

 

“ _Daddy_ ,” she quietly whined in protest as he pulled her across his lap. Sometimes it worked, and he definitely did pause, but ultimately he tucked her under his arm.

 

“Why are you getting this spanking, Joey?” he asked the worst question ever imagined. She squeezed her eyes shut again before responding.

 

“Cause I smoked pot?” she asked hopefully.

 

“Good start,” he said before bringing his hand down hard on her behind. She yelped at the sting and didn’t bother holding in the tears that followed his onslaught of smacks.

 

He alternated between cheeks, strong arm quickly heating up her backside. She was wearing shorts, and the material did nothing to stop the pain. Joey kicked her leg on accident, regretting it when he paused long enough to pull her basketball shorts down. She cursed herself for not wearing jeans today.

 

When he continued mercilessly moving up and down her backside, she started apologizing in hopes of easing the pain.

 

“I’m sorry! Please…ah Daddy…I’m sorry!” she cried. He continued for another moment before pausing to ask her the question again.

 

“What’s this spanking for, Jo?” he asked again. His break apparently was over, as he continued laying swats on her upper thighs; though admittedly less severe than before. All of this only intensified her tears.

 

“Ah! Because I disobeyed you! And put myself in danger,” she said between crying puffs of breath. _Damn this hurt!_ “And…” she tried, finding it difficult to answer questions when her _ass was literally on fire_. She couldn’t help fidgeting from his onslaught, wondering how much longer he thought she deserved this.

 

“Okay! I get it,” she slipped out, cries increasing when that statement just lost her only thin layer of protection. Her Dad yanked her underwear down to her thighs and continued with his punishment. She couldn’t help it, she tried squirmed away from him.

 

The squirming increased the smacking intensity, which increased the leg kicking, which meant kicking off her shorts to god knows where.

 

“Ah! Daddy I’m sorry…it won’t happen again!” she cried as her fingers dug into the comforter in front of her. He shifted her on his lap, and for a brief moment she thought it was over, until he lifted his leg up to get her sit spots.

 

She didn’t bother trying to say anything anymore, openly sobbing as she eventually went limp over his legs. He finally relented, gently pulled her underwear back up and shifting her around to sit up on his lap. His big strong arms wrapped around her and hugged her tight as she cried out every bit of herself.

 

Her bottom seared in pain from his big thighs, reminding her how stupid she had been. But his arms reminded her of safety and love and washed away what guilt she had left over from her exhaustive day.

 

“Shhh, it’s over, baby girl” her Dad whispered as he placed kisses on her hair. He gently rubbed her back with one hand, the other wrapped tightly around her shoulders to squeeze her against his chest. She felt him rock the two back and forth, her cries slowly tapering from both tiredness and his love and comfort.

 

“You did good little one, we’re all done now,” he said with a smile in his voice. She curled up further into his embrace and smiled when she heard him chuckle at that. He wrapped both arms around her again in a bear hug and resumed kissing the top of her head.

 

She let out a giggle of her own when he started to kiss her face, full on laughing when his scruffy beard tickled her cheeks.

 

“Daddy,” she said tiredly, a smile staying on her face when he pulled away to smile at her.

 

“I love you Joey,” he said before placing a final kiss on her forehead. “You’re still a good kid just…try and listen to your old man, okay?”

 

She couldn’t help but laugh at that, nodding tiredly as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

 

He swiftly picked her up off the bed, which had her squealing in delight as he held her close and swung her around her room. He then gently placed her on her stomach on the bed and sat down next to her to rub her back in comfort.

 

“Why don’t you take a nap?” he suggested, knowing she had already started to nod off. “I’ll come get you for dinner, and then we can do your homework instead of watching TV tonight.”

 

She grumbled in response, still conscious enough to complain. He chuckled before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

 

“Love you Jo.”

 

“ _Love you Daddy_ ,” she whispered back against her pillow, feeling warm and safe and so very…very tired.


	32. Chapter 32

After hearing that Joey had smoked weed and given herself a seizure, Tony mentally prepared himself to tell his husband.

 

Nat had left a message at their villa, assuring them she was handling it. That didn’t necessarily put his mind at ease, steeling himself as Steve joined him a moment later. He was dressed in a tank top and shorts, reminding the genius he’d suggested walking along the sand together.

 

“So…” Tony started, not liking the way his husband’s eyes closed in preparation. “Joey had another seizure…” he said carefully. Steve’s eyes burst open in concern until he told him the rest of that story.

 

“…from smoking pot…” he finished quietly, watching his husband’s reaction.

 

The blonde blinked a few times before opening his mouth in silence.

 

“Nat’s taking care of it…which means she’ll be passed on to Ruth, if that helps…” Tony said lamely. “How do you wanna handle this, love?” Steve turned away from him, resting his hands on his hips as he let out a small laugh.

 

“I…” the blonde started before turning to his husband, “I trust Nat…and Ruth. We can deal with our frustrating daughter when we get back home. For right now, I’d like to go…outside. Do something more vigorous than walking along the beach…” he said as he began pacing around the living room area. Tony watched him for a moment, noticing his husband’s sudden build up of adrenaline and calculating whether the risk was worth it.

 

He loved his husband.

 

He could do this.

 

“Babe?” he asked, waiting for those beautiful blue eyes to return his gaze. “Do you want to…”

 

_Do it for Steve._

 

“Would you like to go on a hike together?” he finally spit out. Steve raised a brow at him a moment before responding.

 

“…you hate hiking,” the blonde pointed out before slowly walking over to the man.

 

“Yes, but I love you,” the genius said with a shoulder shrug. His husband smiled brightly at the man, pulling the shorter man in to kiss him.

 

“Have I told you lately how lucky I am to have you?” Steve asked sincerely as he ran his hands gently up and down the man’s placid arms. Tony felt a shiver go down his spine, smiling back at the man.

 

“Pretty sure I’m the lucky one,” he said, before pointedly looking down at his husband’s crotch. His love shoved him lightly and took a step back.

 

“Let’s put your shoes on, hot stuff,” the blonde said before grabbing his hand and dragging them back to the bedroom.

 

Unfortunately, not for what Tony was implying.

 

\--

 

“See? I told you nature is the worst,” Tony grumbled as Steve carried him piggyback the mile back to their villa. The man had tripped over a goddamn tree root and rolled his ankle. Although, if he was being honest, he did not necessarily mind the ride…

 

“Nature didn’t make you fall on your face,” his husband pointed out obnoxiously. “Trying to grab my ass while not paying attention did that for ya.” Tony huffed in response.

 

“Feel sorry for me baby, I’m injured,” the brunette pouted as he tightened his arms around Steve’s neck.

 

“Aw, I do feel sorry for you,” Steve said as he easily carried the man. “But I don’t pity you, which is why you’ll be making this up to me later.” They had to duck under a low tree branch, the shorter man groaning in annoyance when more nature touched him.

 

“I did this for you, my ungrateful husband,” he huffed out. “If anything, it’s you who owes me, your brave and daring man.” Steve chuckled at that, hefting the man a little higher in his grasp as he continued their journey back.

 

“Oh yeah?” the blonde asked smugly. “Cause that little butterfly back there would argue differently…”

 

“You saw it! It tried to lay its eggs in my ear,” he said defensively.

 

“Mhmm, and you used your big boy voice when you screamed bloody murder?” Tony glared at that, knowing his husband couldn’t see him.

 

“...I hate you,” he whispered quietly, like the big fat liar he is.

 

“No you don’t,” Steve replied.

 

“No, I don’t,” he said with a smile as he kissed the blonde’s neck. “You know me so well.”

 

“I should hope so, I did marry you after all.” Tony pulled his left hand out to look at the band. Which made them both chuckle, as it wasn’t his actual wedding ring. They ordered these cute plastic glow in the dark ones that they were currently wearing, not minding if they lost them.

 

“I kind of love these,” Tony said with a smile.

 

“What would Pepper say if you wore it to a meeting?” Steve asked curiously, pausing another moment to readjust the genius. He chuckled at that, wondering himself.

 

“I think she’d be less surprised if I got your name tattooed there.”

 

Steve halted at that, causing Tony to again wrap both arms around him for balance.

 

“Do you wanna do that?” the blonde asked, turning his head to the side a little. Tony looked at him incredulously, knowing Steve didn’t have any permanent marks on his body.

 

_Tony, on the other hand, had a few tattoos of his own, including one that wasn’t removed from his drunken whore days._

 

“Do _you_ wanna do that?” he returned. Steve tightened his grip on Tony’s right leg to release his left hand, strong arm still holding Tony up on his back as he checked his own glow in the dark ring for reference. He returned his hand to balance Tony better before continuing walking the two down the path.

 

“Maybe, if you wanted to I mean. I kind of like the idea of seeing your name whenever I want.” Tony found himself smiling again, kissing his husband’s cheek as they finally saw the villa down the beach.

 

“We could do it before we leave, something…permanent you know? Before my…” he stopped himself, feeling as though saying the word would jinx it.

 

“Tattoos together before your _minor_ heart surgery?” Steve asked coyly.

 

“Tiny tattoos! Each other’s names on our ring fingers,” he said as he again pulled his hand out in front of his husband’s face. “So everyone will know who I belong to…” he added before quickly snuggling back on Steve’s shoulder.

 

“They’ll know _we_ belong to _each other_ , Tony. And yes I think it might somewhat satisfy my inner protective rage,” the blonde teased. The genius knew he was absolutely joking, since he could see the man using the same hand to punch a certain person in the face…

 

“Let’s do it,” he said in finality, kissing his husband’s neck more vigorously as they finally walked back up the stairs to resume their vacation.


	33. Chapter 33

The rest of their vacation was incredibly relaxing, so much so that Steve had even calmed down a little to talk to Joey about what she did the first night they left.

 

Tony had graciously decided to be part of the conversation, making sure Steve ‘behaved himself.’ Which only slightly infuriated the blonde. _He really was trying!_

They agreed to wait until Peter was asleep before going to Joey’s room to talk to her. The boy had asked for his Daddy to put him to bed that night, his husband quickly obliging as Steve made himself busy cleaning up the kitchen. Jo was already in her room, where she’d been most of the evening, so Steve tried to be patient as he finished wiping the counters down.

 

Of course…the more time passed…the more Steve’s mind started thinking of the medical effects of her actions. He found himself looking down and adjusting the loose ring on his finger, hiding the tattoo of ‘ _Tony_ ’ he had gotten for his love.

 

His husband joined him a few moments later, frowning at Steve.

 

“So…how are we doing this?” the brunette asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Steve closed his eyes at that, willing himself to calm down; realizing he must’ve been sporting his ‘ _Captain face_ ’ as Joey had so delicately named it. He and Tony had had many talks about this.

 

“Well…what do _you_ think we should do?” he tried. His brown eyed babe smiled a little at that, uncrossing his arms and stepping closer to the blonde.

 

“I asked you first,” his man teased. Steve huffed out a laugh, leaning against the counter as he considered his question.

 

“You won’t like mine…so I wanna hear yours,” he tried again, smiling as his husband shook his head fondly.

 

“Does yours have anything to do with hitting our child?” Steve closed his eyes in frustration, _really_ hoping they had already cleared this conversation.

 

“Tony, it’s not the same thing…”

 

“I mean…” the brunette interrupted quietly, “by definition it kinda is…” Steve opened his eyes, swallowing some of his anger at seeing his husband.

 

“Tony, I know you think of your childhood, but there’s a difference between discipline and abuse…” Steve said calmly, feeling just slightly defensive of his brother and mom. Tony seemed to think of that before sighing in agreement.

 

“Regardless, it’s not happening tonight, Tony,” the blonde suddenly said in reassurance. He was too tired after their long flight, and his pride was getting in the way…again. “But I also don’t think she should get off the hook for putting her life at risk…”

 

“I agree,” Tony said quickly, closing the small gap between them. “I was thinking more…babysitting duty?” he suggested with a wink, knowing May was out but would be back in town to have Peter and Joey on the day of his surgery. Which still gave them two nights together before he’d be incapacitated…

 

Steve couldn’t help laughing at that, warmth filling his chest at how absolutely ridiculous this man he loved was. Still finding a way to make him laugh when their shit bricks keep piling up…

 

“Okay, you wanna take lead again? Since you’re so good at it?” the blonde teased with a smile at the love of his life. _Not really teasing…he genuinely was better at this than Steve was._

 

“Nope, I wanna see you do it,” the brunette said with a mischievous smile. He quickly pecked the taller man on the lips before grabbing his hand and pulling them into the hallway. Steve allowed himself to be dragged along, not particularly loving this plan.

 

_This was a test…and Steve was more than likely going to fail._

 

Tony knocked on her door, waiting for her welcome before opening the door and pulling them inside. They were both shocked to see Joey waiting for them, complete with several stacks of papers next to her on her bed.

 

“Uh…hey Jo…” Tony began, throwing a glance at Steve, who simply shrugged in response.

 

“Gentleman, please have a seat,” she said, waving at the open space on her mattress. The two shared another look before sitting on either side of her. Steve glanced down at the… six stacks of papers while Joey cleared her throat.

 

“Now, I realize you’re here to lecture me about the dangers of marijuana before administering whatever punishment Dad ultimately decided on,” she said, throwing a glance at Tony. Which got a chuckle out of both of them. “But may I present evidence to the contrary,” she said pushing forward the stacks of papers towards them.

 

Both he and Tony each picked up a stack, looking over them as she explained herself further, counting off the piles on her fingers.

 

“Ruth made me write an essay on the dangers of marijuana, what it does to an epileptic brain, why it’s currently illegal, oh! List of things that _could’ve_ _possibly_ happened to me, statistics on date rape, and a ‘creative writing’ assignment about why it’s important to listen to your parents.”

 

“And if that’s not enough!” she said loudly, causing them both to look back at her in surprise. “She did swat me on the leg with her slipper,” she said with a sudden pout.

 

Tony let out a snort of laughter, knowing Ruth better than the two. Steve smiled fondly at the man’s reaction and his kid’s sudden glare.

 

“Has she hit you with her slipper?” she asked him.

 

“Yes!” Tony said as he continued laughing, “that’s why it’s even funnier!” Steve couldn’t help the chuckle that came out at that, offering Jo a half shrug in response when she turned her look of betrayal at the blonde.

 

“Alright, Tony,” Steve said in her defense, “she’s clearly saying she’s been punished enough.”

 

“Yes! Thank you Pop,” she said before sticking her tongue out at the other man. Who, of course, maturely returned the gesture.

 

“Fine, no more laughing at Ruth’s creative punishment…” the genius agreed. “What do you think Steve?” he asked his husband, making good on his promise to step back on this one.

 

The blonde looked back at his teen, wondering how she was practically an adult and still able to pull off those damn puppy eyes. He signed in defeat, not particularly loving her reaction of cheering in triumph. So he made sure to raise a brow at that, glad to see her compose herself.

 

“Sorry, it’s just…please don’t make me stay with her again,” she pleaded to the two. “I thought Pop was an old fashioned grandma, but she literally washed my mouth out with soap!” Tony tried holding back his laugh, covering his mouth with his hands. Steve, did not, and openly laughed at that.

 

She crossed her arms in betrayal, which only made the blonde laugh harder.

 

“What ‘bad word’ did it in for ya?” he asked with a smile.

 

“Well…to be fair…it was _fuck_ ,” she said, smiling with her parents who laughed along with her. “No, you guys! She’s so fast! I literally tried to outrun her!” she said before bursting into laughter. Steve rolled his eyes fondly as he continued laughing at the image.

 

Tony, practically fell off the bed hearing the news.

 

“Why would you run?” he cackled while grabbing a pillow to muffle his cries. Steve looked back at Jo, glad to see a smile on her face as she grabbed another pillow to smack him in protest.

 

“She’s so small! I thought I could outrun her easily,” she said with a pout before hitting him again when he erupted into more laughter. Steve reached a hand over to pinch his husband’s leg, reminding him to lay off as the genius yelped in surprise.

 

“Hey!” Tony said with a pout as the blonde turned back to their girl.

 

“Jo, you’re not in any more trouble, but please explain to us why you smoked pot–”

 

“–but that’s the thing, Pop! I didn’t! It was second-hand smoke…on an open field,” she explained in her defense.

 

“That’s weird,” Tony pointed out, Jo nodding with him in agreement.

 

“Right?” she asked.

 

“Not the point, guys…” Steve began. “Who was smoking in the field with you?” he asked, frowning at seeing her suddenly look anywhere but at him.

 

“Xavier doesn’t smoke weed,” Tony said carefully, also suddenly curious. “Who was the one Sam told us abandoned you once the medics showed up?”

 

“Um…” she started, looking back and forth wearily between the two. “Cara?”

 

_Why did that name sound familiar…_

 

“THAT bitch?” Tony asked incredulously, startling the other two.

 

“Wait, who’s Cara?” Steve asked.

 

“She’s a girl from my school,” Joey explained.

 

“She’s one of the bitches who jumped her–” Tony began to better explain.

 

“–she didn’t actually touch me,” she clarified.

 

“So she just sat back and watched you get your ass kicked? That’s worse!” Steve said incredulously before sighing heavily. _He suddenly remembers that name…_

 

“Wait…this is the same Cara you fell in love with in first grade?” the blonde asked slowly.

 

“Second grade,” she whispered reluctantly.

 

“Shit…” he slipped out, really too exhausted to keep this going any further.

 

“You know what,” Tony interjected, “I think that’s a good stopping point for tonight. Your Pop and I are going to bed, and we’ll deal with all this love-struck teenage stuff later. For now, you will pick Peter up from school and entertain him at the house until we get home from work this week – so no secretly hanging with miss troublemaker after school. May will be home Thursday to watch you two,” the brunette said as he grabbed the papers and stood up off the bed.

 

Steve stayed sitting a moment later, smiling back at the teen who had crawled back to curl up under her blanket. He helped adjust the pillows that Tony had messed up, rolling his eyes fondly at the man who had started reading the essays.

 

He looked back at the teen who was cleaning her glasses off with her t-shirt and thought about his brother again. He got up to kiss her on the cheek, following his husband out of her room after they wished their daughter goodnight.


	34. Chapter 34

She hadn’t talked to Xavier since the mall, which did not help her anxiety since she didn’t have anyone to talk to the day of her Dad’s surgery.

 

Her Pop had reminded her a hundred times this morning to go to May’s after school. Also reassured her several times that the surgery was minor and he would be fine.

 

She didn’t listen to either.

 

All day, she thought about what would happen if she lost Tony. Tony, who’d just gotten into her life only to be stripped away from her.

 

The man who believed in her from the beginning.

 

Who took her side against Steve when he was being hard-headed.

 

Who never once made her feel in any way unwelcome in his giant mansion or like she was any less his kid than Peter.

 

So needless to say, she was distracted at school. And because she was, she ended up getting detention from her favorite teacher – Mr. Jefferson. Who, she swears, has a personal vendetta against her.

 

Since her Pop still had her phone, she used the school phone in the front office to let him know. He sounded frustrated but sympathetic, telling her he’d let May know.

 

Honestly, it was detention that got her thinking. If Mr. Jefferson wasn’t such a colossal dick, she would’ve gone straight to May’s. And…it didn’t help that she’d spent the whole week babysitting her adorably annoying little brother.

 

With everything going on…she just wanted a drink. She figured she could get away with a few hours after school, as long as she was back in time for dinner. May was chill, she’d understand if she was a little late. She just needed something to take the edge off of all of this and help her calm the fuck down.

 

So, while she was sitting in detention, she texted old friends of hers that she used to drink with to hang out.

 

And they were thrilled to hear from their old drinking buddy! Win win.


	35. Chapter 35

Even though Dr. Strange ended up being a few hours late – caught up on the other side of the world – overall things were going smoothly.

 

Which of course was the perfect time for May to call him. He pulls his phone out, frowning before answering it.

 

“May?”

 

 _“Hey Steve,”_ she answered quietly.

 

“What happened?” he asked, not trying to hold back the anger because **goddammit can he not catch a fucking break?**

 

 _“It’s just…Joey’s not here, she never came here after detention…”_ she said hesitantly. Steve felt his chest burn with anger and betrayal as he realized it wasn’t just bad luck. It was _Josephine not fucking listening to him, again._

 

“Fuck, okay…” he said before sighing heavily.

 

 _“Hey, I’m sure she’ll turn up, I just wanted to let you know, cause – well…”_ And then he could hear him, Peter crying in the background about his Daddy _and_ big sister and Steve had to resist every urge to punch a wall…while he was still in a hospital.

 

“Okay, thank you for telling me. You’re right, she’ll show up and probably offer some lame excuse… _or she might be drunk_ …” he whispered the last few words out, suddenly thinking that maybe detention was a lie and she’d just went to drink.

 

_“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t meant to worry you, just wanted to keep you updated–”_

 

“–No, sorry May of course, thank you for calling with the update,” he said with as little ire as he could muster.

 

_“Steve, we won’t know until she shows up. It’s barely five, Peter is also upset because he lost his favorite toy at school today. It was show and tell day, and he just figured out two seconds ago that it isn’t in his backpack…”_

“Oh no, Optimus Prime? He’s probably back in his classroom.”

 

 _“That’s what I said! Peter, Papa agrees with me, we’ll send Happy to get if from your classroom tomorrow, sweet pea.”_ Steve heard Peter grumble something in the background before she continued.

_“Steve, honey, I’ll let you know when she gets here and make sure she apologies to Peter, okay? You just concern yourself with your drama king husband and I’ll calm this one down with **chocolate cake**?”_ The blonde couldn’t help but smile as he heard their son cheer in the background.

 

“Thanks May, you’re a lifesaver,” Steve said sincerely, laughing along with her when Peter started singing about cake.

 

 _“Oh shut up, I am a horrible mother,”_ she teased.

 

“You are the second greatest mother I’ve ever met, after my own of course,” he teased right back, glad to hear her laugh over the line.

 

_“Well thank you, love. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some cake to slice.”_

“Thank you, May,” the blonde said tiredly.

 

_“You’re welcome, Steve. Talk to you later, bye.”_

“Bye,” said before hanging up his phone, eternally grateful for that woman.

  

 

* * *

 

 

 

This is a first for Steve. He’s never actually shaken with rage towards a loved one. Nor did he ever think his kid could make him this angry. 

 

 **But she certainly did**.

 

Officer Hill called Steve just after Dr. Strange had told him to go home and come back tomorrow morning. He assured the blonde Tony was absolutely fine and would make a full recovery, but he’d be out from the anesthesia until then.

 

She called to tell him that his daughter almost got arrested.

 

For charges of drunk driving.

 

So currently, he was driving home where the two of them would meet him. He glances at the clock in his car; it was nine thirty at night. Maria – bless that woman – agreed not to actually file any charges since she ‘drove about two blocks.’ She decided to cut Josephine some slack.

 

Steve had other plans.

 

After thanking the woman profusely, promising a million favors and an official apology from a sober teen, he dragged the quiet – but somehow fuming – daughter of his up their elevator.

 

His brother’s voice floated through his head, reminding him to never do this angry. Steve swallowed what anger he could as they stepped out of the elevator, walking to the living room.

 

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!” he shouted at the startled teen. She still looked furious back at him, sitting on the couch in surprise while he tried his best not to loom over her.

 

“That’s quite the long list,” she sneered at him.

 

“Oh, you wanna be smart right now? Is that what you really wanna do?” he said as he raised his hands to rest on his hips. _Was this not the same kid who a few days ago apologized for smoking pot? And now she’s giving_ him _attitude after **she drove drunk?**_

 

“I wasn’t being smart. There’s a lot of things wrong with me,” she said quietly as she suddenly looked down at her lap. Steve felt his anger only slightly dissipate.

 

“Alright, allow me to be more specific. Why. The fuck,” his voice broke.

 

_God fucking dammit._

 

“Why the fuck would you ever, **_ever_** drive drunk?” He finished before clearing his throat to get a hold of himself. He watched her curl her arms around herself in response, still not looking at Steve. He stared down at her, seeing she wasn’t going to answer him just yet.

 

“Well…you’ll have time to think about it in your room while I go to the gym. Shower so you can sober up. I’ll go work out so I don’t…murder you,” he said quietly. Joey flinched at that, but quickly got up and walked to her room.

 

He closed his eyes as he made himself take a few breaths, willing himself to calm down enough to go work out his anger.


	36. Chapter 36

FLASHBACK

 

 

When she was three, Steve remembers him and his mom going over to his brother’s apartment to bring them some dinner. Bucky had just moved out from their apartment to give him and his daughter their own space, but Steve would be lying if he said he didn’t miss them.

 

Sure, having his own room for the first time in…ever…was nice, but he missed his big bro and baby niece. Even when said niece was a screaming lunatic…like today.

 

He grabbed his spare key to unlock the door after knocking and waiting a few moments. When they heard screaming from behind the door, they decided to rush in.

 

The sight before them…was hilarious.

 

Flour covered almost every inch of the living room while the TV ran some cartoons at high volume. Steve reached for the remote to mute the TV before he and his mom shared a look as they glanced around for the source of the screaming.

 

Then, they were greeted by a screaming toddler wearing only a t-shirt, also covered in flour, who ran straight into Steve’s legs.

 

He had been holding the frozen lasagna their mom had made, and handed it back over to his mom who was failing at stifling her laughter.

 

“Steeeeeeeeeeb! Steeb Daddy spanked me!” Jo tattled, turning around to glare at the man who finally made his way into view. Bucky was out of breath, covered in flour and looked about ready to pull his own hair out. He looked a lot older than his recently turned twenty-two years of age. When he took a step forward, she shuffled her tiny body around Steve to hide behind his legs; all while their mom kept laughing loudly.

 

“Really Ma?” Bucky asked with a glare as the woman shrugged her shoulders before going to set down what they brought into the kitchen.

 

“Karma my love,” their mom said as she kissed his cheek in passing.

 

“Joey, what’d you do to make your daddy spank you?” Steve asked with a small smile, reaching back to pat her head; smiling at seeing there was still flour in her brown curls. He leaned back a little more, seeing the light pink on her bottom – only somewhat covered by the remaining flour.

 

“Not’ing…” she said, not so innocently since she was wearing the evidence.

 

“Are you kidding me?” Bucky asked with his hands up in the air, just as their mom came back in and ducked under his frantic waving.

 

“Come here baby,” their mom said with a smile, picking the messy toddler up from behind Steve and placing her on her hip.

 

“Daddy spanked me, Nana,” Joey tattled again and threw another glare at Buck, making Steve snort from laughter. He composed himself with the glare his brother sent him.

 

“He did?” their mom asked in shock, as if she was hearing this for the first time. “Well that sounds like a mean Daddy, doesn’t it?”

 

“Ma!” Bucky whined, obviously annoyed at his family for not taking his side. Joey nodded with a pouty lip, wrapping her arms tightly around her Nana.

 

“Oh poor baby,” she sympathized as she smiled at her frustrated oldest. “Do you want me to spank him?” Now Steve didn’t try to hold back his laughter, seeing his brother throw his arms up again dramatically as his niece nodded furiously in agreement.

 

“The flour is just the tip of the iceberg!” Bucky piped in, trying to defend himself. “She also tried to stick a fork in an electric outlet after I told her a **thousand times** not to!”

 

Their mom chuckled and kissed her cheek loudly.

 

“You know, when your Daddy was little, he got spankings too.”

 

“He did?” Jo asked after pulling a little away from her Nana. The woman brushed some of the flour off her face with a smile before responding.

 

“Mhmm. He was a million times worse than you, let me tell you,” she threw a wink at Buck, who rolled his eyes at the woman. “Your Daddy got into trouble a lot when he was your age. One time, he cracked all of my eggs under the dining room table while I was folding laundry,” she said, smiling when the girl in her arms giggled at that.

 

“Please don’t give her any ideas,” Bucky pleaded with his eyes closed in frustration.

 

“Another time, he tried to jump off our second-story balcony because there was a kitty on the ground,” she said with a teasing grin. Joey looked shocked and turned to frown at him.

 

“Bad Daddy,” Joey muttered, getting another laugh from Steve and their Ma.

 

“How about I help you take a bath while your Daddy and Uncle Steve start cleaning up this mess?” their mom suggested as she kissed her cheek again.

 

“But Nana…” the toddler tried to interrupt, never a fan of baths.

 

“Come on baby girl, we got to clean up before dinner,” she said with finality as the little girl ‘humphed,’ but was otherwise silent on the way to the bathroom.

 

Steve got the vacuum cleaner out when he had swept up most of the mess, turning to his big brother who was frowning at the sight.

 

“So…how did this happen?” Steve asked with a smile, noticing Buck was trying to stifle a smile of his own.

 

“She wanted it to snow,” the man said as he looked at his younger brother. Steve let out another laugh, glad to see Bucky join him this time.

 

“It’s not funny,” Bucky said, trying to hide his smile.

 

“It kind of is,” Steve returned.

 

“Yeah, kind of,” Buck said a small smile as he brought the trash can out to dump the flour in. Steve looked over at his brother, whose smile had immediately faded to a frown as the man plopped down on the mostly-cleaned couch.

 

“Buck…you okay?” the blonde asked with concern. His brother looked in the direction of the bathroom, waiting to hear running water before responding.

 

“I’m no different than him,” he said quietly as he hung his head in defeat. It took Steve a minute to realize who he was talking about.

 

“What? Hey! You’re nothing like Carlton, Buck,” he said with confidence.

 

Bucky’s bio father, Carlton Barnes, was an abusive piece of shit who Buck vowed would never meet his granddaughter. When they were little and would spend the weekend with him, back when their mom didn’t know any better, they’d get the shit beat of them.

 

This was not the same thing.

 

“I hit her Steve,” his brother said as he brought his hands to cover his face in anguish.

 

“You spanked her Buck, there’s a difference,” Steve assured him as he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, standing near him for support. “Did you see her? She was barely even crying. Besides, would you tell Ma she’s the same as Carlton?”

 

“No, of course not,” he said quickly, before catching on to what Steve was saying. He rolled his eyes fondly at his brother before standing up to pull him into a bone crushing hug.

 

“You’re a smart cookie, Stevie. Must be why you’re the one going to college.” Steve returned the hug with a fond eye roll of his own.

 

“Art school isn’t technically–”

 

“–hush baby brother,” he began, before the two were interrupted by a shout.

 

“Wait, Jo!” they heard their mom yell as a naked and mostly dry toddler zoomed in to join them in the living room. The guys pulled away from each other as they watched the little girl run in circles around them.

 

“She doesn’t seem too traumatized, Buck,” Steve pointed out with a smile as their mom joined them a minute later.

 

“Just like your Daddy, who also refused to put on clothes until he was **four** …” she said with a smile and a head shake towards the little girl.

 

“I wanna be nakey!” she shouted, continuing running around the living room. Their mom laughed before going to the kitchen to start on dinner.

 

“Nakey like Daddy!” the toddler proclaimed as she suddenly stopped running in favor of dancing. Steve looked over to his older brother, who was smiling down at his daughter.

 

“Yeah? I’m not nakey right now though,” he pointed out with hands on his hips. She turned to giggle at him before running to ‘hide’ behind her uncle again.

 

“Oh no! Where did Joey go?” Bucky asked, pretending he couldn’t hear the laughing toddler hiding behind Steve. “Steve, have you seen my baby girl?”

 

“No, Buck, I don’t know what to tell you…” Steve said with a smile as the girl continued giggling behind him.

 

“Here I am!” she shouted, jumping to the side to suddenly become ‘visible’ again.

 

“There you are!” Bucky returned the enthusiasm, squatting down and reaching his arms out to invite her in for a hug.

 

For a moment, she looked like she wanted to continue their little game, but changed her mind as she ran into her daddy’s arms.

 

His brother stood up and tossed her in the air before settling her on his hip.

 

“See? You’re a great dad, Buck.”

 

His brother smiled at him as he hugged his daughter close.

 

“Why don’t you and your nakey butt go help Nana? Uncle Steve and I need to finish in here,” he suggested as he kissed her cheek and placed her on the ground.

 

“I help here?” she asked, turning around to look at the still white powdery room.

 

“I think you’ve helped in here enough, sweet pea,” Bucky said with a brow raised while she turned to giggle mischievously back at him.

 

“Okay Daddy,” she agreed before zooming to the kitchen to help her Nana.

 

“She’s going to be one hell of a teenager,” Bucky said with a smile.

 

“Yeah…good luck with that,” Steve said with a smile of his own, not wanting to think what kind of trouble she could get into if she did this much as a toddler. He felt lucky he could watch her from afar, loving his niece dearly but not wanting that kind of responsibility.

 

And yet… the world works in mysterious ways.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: cp in this chapter too

_Fuck, he was so pissed. He was madder than when she ran away when she was twelve._ Maybe she could fight this, she was too old to be getting a spanking…

 

...yeah there was no way she would win that argument. She certainly didn’t feel comfortable telling him the truth…if he’d even believe her right now.

_Dammit why wasn’t Tony here right now?_

_Oh right._

_He was…in the hospital recovering._

She cursed herself for getting into this mess. Should’ve just gone to May’s.

 

Instead, she went to her old friends, who helped her achieve her goal of drinking alcohol, which did in fact calm her down…until she ran into Cara. And her **boyfriend**.

 

And then shit hit the fan and now she’s going to have to endure Steve’s barbaric disciplinary methods, which he got from her Dad and Nana. She angrily thinks to herself if she ever had kids – which was looking less and less likely the older she got – she’d never hit them.

 

 _She’d break this ridiculous cycle of abuse_.

 

Everything leading up to this moment flashed through her mind as a mixture of emotions washed over her.

 

She was frustrated with herself.

 

She was furious at Cara and that fuckboy she’s still with.

 

She was hurt thinking of Carolyn.

 

She was disappointed in herself thinking of Xavier.

 

She was saddened thinking of her Dads.

 

She was angry thinking of Steve. And terrified.

 

_She was practically an adult!_

 

A knock on the door interrupts her thoughts, a feeling of déjà vu passing over her as she welcomes the disciplinarian inside.

 

He doesn’t seem any less angry than before, though he had taken about half an hour to work out and subsequently shower. She frowns as she looked away from his wet hair, still wondering to herself if it was possible to argue her way out of what was about to happen.

 

“Do you wanna get this over with or do you need a lecture to realize how stupid it was to drive while under the influence? When your father died from–”

 

“–I know how my Dad died!” she snapped at him. The cloud around him only darkened at that, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

 

“Then tell me why you did it,” he snarled back at her. She swallowed thickly before breaking eye contact with him.

 

“I was buzzed, first of all, and I drove my friend _two blocks home_ because he stood up for me against…against this fuck-head who tried to assault me…” she trailed off, clutching her arms around her stomach at the memory.

 

“And you couldn’t _walk_ the two blocks home?” he asked in a dangerously quiet tone. Her eyes shot up at that, because he totally skipped past the _tried to assault_ her part. 

 

“That’s more important to you than someone almost assaulting me?” she asked incredulously.

 

“It doesn’t excuse driving drunk, Josephine. Nothing excuses driving drunk. You could’ve walked, or gotten a cab, or called anyone else. Including nine-one-one. I’m sorry that you were almost assaulted, but that does not excuse your actions,” he said slowly with his fists clenched.

 

She felt defiant tears cascade down her cheek in anger.

 

“I’m sorry, okay? I realize I fucked up, but you won’t even hear my side?”

 

“You just explained your side, you disobeyed my direct orders to go to May’s after detention – which! Was that even the truth? Or …”

 

“Yes, call the school if you don’t believe me! I did get detention from my stupid English teacher! I thought…I just…needed a second before babysitting again and then time kind of got away from me…”

 

“You were supposed to go to May’s because I fucking told you to; not because you were babysitting your brother **while his mother was there.** But because _I_ wanted _you there and safe_ so I only had to worry about _one love_ who was already under the knife. Instead you got yourself detention, went out, drank alcohol, and fucking **drove** ,” he finished with a growl. “You’re so lucky Hill took pity on your sorry ass and you better pray no one got a picture of your little adventure.”

 

“And for the record, I also wanted you there so you and your little brother could’ve used each other for comfort while both being spoiled by May. Did that thought not cross your mind?” he asked angrily. She shook her head in response, unable to think of anything to say to that.

 

 _That thought had_ not _crossed her mind…_

 

“Let’s get this over with,” Steve said regretfully as he started to walk to her bed.

 

“Wait!” she cried with her hands extended to stop him. “Aren’t I too old to…” she fully cringed before finishing “…go over your knee?” She opened one eye back at him, opening the other when he actually looked like he was thinking it over.

 

He even crossed his arms as he thought, tapping his foot a few times before looking back at her sadly.

 

“Well, the other option is you can bend over your bed and I use my belt?” he asked quietly and almost regretfully. Jo felt her eyes burst open and a cold shiver shoot up her spine in fear at the thought.

 

“Okay then,” he continued, Jo not able to look at him as he walked over to sit next to her. “Come on kiddo,” the blonde said sadly as he grabbed her arm and pulled her across his broad lap.

 

He took a moment to adjust her under his grip, tightening one arm around her waist as she grabbed a pillow to bury her face in preparation. This was beyond humiliating for an almost eighteen year old and she felt shame burn deep in her gut. She was wearing her long pajama bottoms over her underwear – and he pulled both down to her thighs in one quick yank.

 

She squeaked in protest and couldn’t help reaching a hand back to protect herself.

 

“Josephine, put that arm back before I restrain it,” he said in a voice dripping with anger.

 

“ _Come on, Steve_ ,” she whined in embarrassment. She still felt angry, but it was overpowered by the guilt and shame and mortification and humiliation and self-pity and heartache all currently burning her insides out.

 

“ _ **Drunk driving**_ ,” he said quietly and was surprisingly gentle as he placed her arm back in front of her body.

 

And then, the worst pain she had ever experienced commenced. He was stronger and taller than her Dad had ever been.

 

And a thousand times harsher.

 

His large hand didn’t slow down as he rained swats up and down her backside.

 

She wishes she could go back in time, tell her twelve year old self to stop complaining. _Because that bitch had it easy!_

 

“AH!” she yelped at a particularly hard swat to her upper thigh. His hands were even larger than her smaller self remembers, her entire backside quickly lighting up as his powerful swing never relented.

 

Swat after swat of what she was starting to wonder if **a few with the belt** **would’ve hurt any less**!

 

Yes, she should’ve known better than to kick, cause that always inspired them to step it up. And it did, the blonde shifting one leg to raise her bare bottom to an even more embarrassing angle to target her sit spots.

 

Which meant she wouldn’t be able to sit for a _while_ after all of this.

 

_If it ever ended!_

 

“ _Please?_ ” she pleaded quietly as she couldn’t help the kick that followed. He paused for a moment, presumably shaking his hand out by the sounds in the air, before asking her **_the_** question.

 

**The one fucking question to ruin them all.**

“Why are you getting this spanking, Jo?” he asked quietly, large palm gently hovering over her fiery backside, most definitely red and radiating off heat at this point.

 

“Cause I did the one fucking thing I shouldn’t have done?” she cried out, pillow stained with her puddle of tears. He sighed, and she was curious because it almost sounded like he was regretful…but if he was… _then why the fuck wasn’t he relenting??_

 

His smacks resumed as she tried shouting out answers.

 

“Ah! I’m sorry! It was dangerous…and I could’ve died!” she hiccupped a sob between breaths, wondering if she could pass out from this kind of pain.

 

_Or maybe she’d have a seizure and then he’d be sorry._

Her cries turned into full on sobbing which quickly escalated into practically flailing to get out of his embrace. _Was his arm not at least tired??_ She even resorted to try crawling away, which tightened his hold as his rhythm never failed.

 

“Putting yourself in stupid and reckless danger over something so easily avoidable? You know better Joey…” he said sadly as he continued raining swats down.

 

“Ow, I’m sorry! I disobeyed you, I…I won’t do it again! Ow! _Please_ …” she cried before falling limp from exhaustion, every bit of negative emotion curling in her gut and crushing her soul. Guilt was at the forefront, as she couldn’t help thinking what her Dad would think of the almost adult.

 

Or how angry Steve currently was at her.

 

_Fuck why didn’t she just do as her parent asked for once in her fucking life?_

 

Add that to the physical pain of this punishment, she has never felt this horrible.

 

“ _I’m…I’m so  sorry Papa_ ,” she whimpered out before curling her arms around the pillow to cry the rest of herself out, not caring about anything else at this point but the intense pain consuming her backside and twisting her stomach into knots.

 

Wave after wave of sadness washed over her as she laid there crying, unaware that the punishment had even stopped. Steve had been rubbing her back and whispering words of encouragement, but she didn’t notice anything until he reached down to pull her underwear back up – her pajama bottoms long since kicked off.

 

She yelped from the snug clothing while he simply finagled her to sit up and on his lap, wrapping his arms around her in comfort.

 

It’s funny, even though he was the strictest disciplinarian – he was also somehow the absolute best cuddler – giant and strong arms engulfing her in a bear hug that was almost like a cure all on its own.

 

She never understood how that worked.

 

She could almost ignore the pain from sitting on his muscular thighs; returning the embrace allowing her free flow of tears to continue as she hugged him like her life depended on it. He simply tightened his arms around her, the force of it actually popping her spine.

 

“ _Pop_ ,” she groaned, also finding it hard to breathe under his crushing embrace as he realized with a chuckle and loosened his grip. If only slightly.

 

“Sorry Jo…just…don’t **_ever_** fucking do that again,” he said quietly, sounding genuinely shaken up, as his lips resting on the top of her head. _As if she ever needed to be reminded of this._

 

“I promise, Pop. I swear to fucking god **and** on Daddy’s grave,” she paused as her body hiccuped from more tears, “I will never do that again.”

 

 _Yeah, no thank you._  


The strong but coiled body around her almost instantly relaxed at that. More cuddly bear and less murderous octopus. He rocked the two for a moment as she felt her body mimic his, relaxing more easily into the hug.

 

“Good,” he added quietly, “cause if that ever did happen again? I’d make sure you went to jail. And then I’d beat your ass once you got out. Doesn’t matter how old you are either.”

 

She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped, knowing just how serious he was being but unable to suppress the laugh from his statement.

 

“I’m serious,” he said, though she could hear the smile in his voice.

 

“I know,” she returned, rolling her eyes as she smashed herself further into his embrace. He chuckled at that, humming to himself as the two sat there quietly for another moment. Before the bastard interrupted the silence.

 

“I’m especially serious about how old you are…don’t think that just because you’re almost eighteen–”

 

“–oh my god, I hate you,” she lied as she laughed against his chest.

 

“Yeah?” he asked playfully. “Well I’d rather have you hate me while you are safe and alive than ‘like’ me and die young…”

 

Joey realizes something that suddenly makes her feel worse.

 

_Steve lost her Dad too._

_His brother._

_And if she died?_

 

_What it would do to him, all of his original family dying at such a young age._

The sheer amount of added guilt crushed her chest like a lead weight as she realized she needed to actually say something about it.

 

She jumped off his lap, wincing in pain from the sudden movement. Steve reached his hands out to steady her, looking at her in concern as she balanced herself with his outstretched arms.

 

“Steve, _Pop_ … _youlostDad_ …” she rushed out.

 

“Yeah, but I was like six months old…” he said in confusion.

 

“No,” she laughed, “ _you_ lost _my dad_ too,” she said. _As if that explained everything_. His face scrunched up in a hurt and confused way as she realized she needed to better explain herself.

 

Now or never, really.

 

“I thought I lost everything when I lost my Dad, but you lost your brother. I only had him for twelve years but he was your big brother for twenty six.” Steve’s laugh stopped her momentarily from saying anything else.

 

“It’s not a competition, Jo,” he said fondly as she smiled back at him.

 

“Yeah, but…”

 

“I haven’t forgotten about him, if that’s what this is about…” her Pop tried.

 

“No, no,” she started to say as she sat down on the bed next to him. She had momentarily forgotten that wasn’t possible yet, jumping up in pain as she let out a yelp.

 

She stole a glance at him, glaring at the ridiculous man who covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

 

“It’s not funny! This shit hurts,” she pouted as she rubbed her very warm bottom.

 

“Oh I’m well aware, my hand still stings,” the troll said, looking at his red hand.

 

She threw her hands up in disbelief, walking around her bed to lie on her stomach – laying a little away from him in protest as she glared at the man.

 

“I’m sorry Joey, please continue. We both lost Buck…” he said fondly.

 

“Right,” she said as she grabbed a pillow to rest her head on. She smiled when she saw Steve shift around to lie next to her on his back, staring at the ceiling as he waited for her to talk.

 

_Which…might have been a first for him…_

 

“I didn’t realize….I was so caught up in the thought of losing you after losing my Dad when…you could’ve lost **me** after losing your brother **and** your mom…” She saw him drum his fingers against his sternum, looking like he was deep in thought as he still remained silent.

 

“I’m trying to say…I’ve been really selfish lately…” she began, again checking to gauge his response. When he only furrowed his brows, she continued.

 

“It’s just…in the beginning, I felt bad about replacing Dad with you and T. And then, or now…I feel bad about replacing you guys…” She looked away from her Pop now, blinking hot tears from her eyes as she continued.

 

“I’ve been wanting…a mother to talk to. It’s why I reached out to Carolyn, constantly try to hang out with May – who is my little brother’s mother and doesn’t owe me anything. I have two amazing dads but I’m a selfish jerk for wanting more…” she practically choked on the tears free falling down her face.

 

“Daddy always said **no family was too small** …and with everything I’ve done… _he’d be so_ _disappointed in me_ …” She erupted in to more sobs, unable to stop the onslaught.

 

She felt the bed shift as Steve sat up, scooting next to her and gently rubbing her back.

 

“Jo…” he started sadly.

 

She immediately took that as regretful confirmation, cries increasing as she further curled around her pillow in anguish.

 

“No, no no no” Steve reassured her as he quickly wrapped his arms around her middle and brought her back into his lap.

 

“Shh no baby, that is not true at all,” she heard him say with a waver in voice. “Your Daddy would be so proud of the young woman you’re becoming,” he said, pausing to tighten his arms around her further.

 

“When Buck said that, he meant you should be grateful for the ones in your life that love you. Not that you shouldn’t open your heart up so others can love you too. And you, my sweet girl, have so many people that love you in this life and already think of you as family. Like May and Peter, Sam, Nat, Clint, Pepper, Rhodey…your Dad. And me. I love you so much Joey, and I would never be mad at you for wanting help or advice from someone that isn’t me or your Dad. I know I’m a stubborn ass but I also know my limitations when it comes to female anatomy.”

 

She couldn’t help but chuckle at that, staying in his embrace and officially exhausted from this evening.

 

“For the record, I am also incredibly proud of you…as is Tony.” Hearing his name reminded her where she should’ve been tonight. Her tears came back with a force.

 

“Hey, none of that now,” he murmured in reassurance. “All is forgiven, you know Tony’s already forgiven you before he’s even heard the story. I’m sure he’ll lecture me later for even punishing you…” he tried to tease, except it didn’t help her guilt.

 

“You should…” she began, holding back a hiccup. “…you should probably go back to him,” she said as she pulled herself away from the blonde.

 

She winced as she shifted off of him, guilt still fluttering in her stomach at thinking of Tony having heart surgery earlier.

 

She looked up at her Pop, who looked like he was considering her words. He looked back at her with a small smirk before responding.

 

“Well, actually Dr. Strange told me to go home and get a good night’s rest. He said Tony will be totally fine, but he would still be knocked out from the anesthesia and to just come back first thing tomorrow. So we have a few hours before either him or Peter will wake up,” he said, double checking his watch to see the time.

 

She thought that over, though the _name thing_ was the only thing she could currently focus on…

 

“Is he a weirdo or is that his actual–”

 

“–Dr. Stephen Strange,” he answered, reading her mind yet again.  

 

“Oh, Stephen with a ‘ph’?” she asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Oh that is…not as much fun as Steven,” she said sincerely. He laughed fondly at that, nodding in agreement.

 

_So…they probably should be getting to bed?_

 

“I guess uh…” she began to say, pulling back her covers.

 

“Why don’t you come hang out in my room?” he suggested with a smile, she looked up at him with hope before the nagging voice reminded her.

 

“No, thanks I’m too old–” He literally had the nerve to scoff at that.

 

“I said hang out not bottle feed,” he teased with a wink as he climbed off her bed and started walking out her door. She gawked at him as he left without saying anything else…seriously… _for once in her life_.

 

She sat there torn. Part of her thought she deserved to pout alone in bed, hours before she could finally see Tony. She didn’t deserve comfort right now.

 

The other side of her craved reassurance and loved Steve despite his many faults and relished at the idea of at least being near him…

 

 _Fuck it_ , she thought to herself as she grabbed her loosest pair of pajama bottoms – which she happened to steal from Steve – before gently taking off her undies. They were way too snug for her current condition.

 

She also stole a glance in the mirror, frowning at how very red her ass and upper thighs were. She quickly but again, gently, put the pj bottoms on before walking to her parents’ bedroom. She had to stop once along the way to readjust her pants, suddenly feeling childish enough to confidently walk in.


	38. Chapter 38

He knew with everything going on, neither would be able to sleep.

 

So Steve sprawled himself out on top of the covers, drawing pad in front of him as he smiled at her getting over her embarrassment to hang out with him.  As she walked over to join him, he saw her peak at the picture in curiosity. It was just Tony’s profile, but he smiled when he heard her scoff fondly at that.

 

Because you know _…shockingly_ , it was of his husband.

 

“You ever think of going back to art school?” she asked suddenly, looking genuinely impressed with his drawing. He turned towards her, a small smile on his face.

 

“I’ve thought about taking classes, but no I wouldn’t go back to art school, I love my job too much,” he said as he turned back to put the finishing touches on his picture.

 

“What kind of classes would you take?” she asked in curiosity. He smiled, stopped drawing entirely and even threw the pad and pencil on the side table to turn to her.

 

“I was thinking pottery, to start with…”

 

“Oh that’d be fun!” she said in agreement, laying on her stomach next to him and reaching over for a pillow. He obliged, handing her one of Tony’s, smiling when she smelled it as she settled it under head comfortably.

 

“Right? You’re welcome to take it with me,” he blurted, almost wondering if he shouldn’t have said it out loud. She’s probably still upset with him, as she just stared back at the man.

 

“Uh, yeah, that’d be awesome,” she said with a blush, looking like she genuinely loved that idea. He can’t remember the last time the two of them had done something fun together, noting that in his head for later as he pushed away that guilty thought.

 

He was incredibly exhausted from everything that’s happened over the last twenty four hours, but also felt unable to pull himself away from spending this kind of one on one alone time with her. Just to talk.

 

A thought suddenly came to mind, and his curiosity got the better of him.

 

“Buck knew I was gay, didn’t he?” Judging by her erupting in laughter, he would say his suspicions were confirmed.

 

“Yeah, he did,” she said in between chuckles. He rolled his eyes fondly, reconsidering how sneaky he thought he was at hiding it the first thirty years.

 

“How’d he know?” He smiled at seeing her cheeks blush.

 

“I don’t know actually, guess he just knew you well enough. He did say he knew for a long time, though. And he gave me the whole ‘importance of coming out’ shpeal when I told him I liked girls in second grade,” she explained.

 

“So is that when you knew?” he asked out of his own curiosity.

 

“Yeah, I think so. When’d you know?” she asked, turning to curl up and face him. He had to think about that, wondering if he should tell her the whole truth to that story.

 

“I think I was seven,” Steve said, not fond of this memory. “I was watching TV and Speed was on. I…got excited about Keanu and my body showed…” When she giggled, he reached back to grab a pillow and gently smack her with it.

 

“I’m sorry! Jeez, what did Nana say?” she asked with a smile. His face suddenly hardened at that, knowing…

 

“I wasn’t with her…” he said quietly, lost in thought. He didn’t notice the way her face revealed she had realized what that meant.

 

“You were with Carlton?” she guessed quietly. He startled at that, looking at her incredulously as she hit the nail on the head.

 

“I’m sorry, Pop. For the record, I _am_ glad I’ve never met him. And speaking of shitty grandparents…did Carolyn tell you why she came down here?” He blinked a few times at that, almost feeling whiplash from the change in subject. But still thankful for it.

 

He shook his head no in response, remembering that he hadn’t spent that much time with the woman to have a real conversation.

 

“She’s dying,” Jo said quietly. Steve sat there, absorbing that information as she continued.

 

“Of breast cancer,” she whispered out. A heavy weight suddenly crushed his chest, because goddamit _could they seriously not catch a fucking break?_

 

“Shit, Jo, that sucks I’m so sorry. Do you know how to do your own inspection?” he asked, sitting up to address her more seriously. She blinked a few times at him, looking thoroughly confused as she slowly sat up to face him.

 

“What inspection?” she asked, shifting a little on the bed in pain. Which Steve did everything in his power not to laugh at. He quickly brought his hands up to his own chest to demonstrate, nodding at her to copy him.

 

“You just press down around each breast in a circular motion,” demonstrating on himself while she tried to do the same on herself. “You’re basically feeling for any lumps and you wanna check yourself about once a month – like when you’re in the shower.”

 

After a moment, he noticed her eyes widen in shock, frantically feeling around before looking terrified at the blonde.

 

“I have lumps!” she shrieked. His brow raised at that…not entirely sure if…

 

“Jo, you have lumps, plural?” he asked carefully (and skeptically). She looked panic-stricken and quickly grabbed one of his hands to place on the outside of her right breast. His Captain role easily took over, gently feeling what she was talking about…before laughing fondly.

 

He withdrew his hand and grabbed hers to feel the same spot again.

 

“Kid, are you talking about those ridges?” he asked with a smile as she squinted at him and nodded yes. “Yeah, that’s what fat feels like. Because your breasts are literally bags of fat, love.”

 

Her face morphed from petrified to dumbfounded to pure glee as she collapsed back on the bed and erupted in laughter. Steve sat there, very confused but enjoying seeing her laugh at such a delicate subject. He couldn’t help himself, he started laughing too.

 

“Oh jeez, I genuinely thought I was going to have a meltdown all over again! That was the quickest diffusion ever. Well done, Cap-i-ton,” she joked in a rhyme. Steve could still see the smile in her eyes as she said it. She continued laying on her back, her knees brought up to take some of the pressure off her bottom.

 

“Oh shit,” he heard Joey suddenly whisper. He looked at her in confusion as she lied with “sorry, I just thought of something, but it’s nothing,” before quickly looking away from him.

 

“Look,” he began carefully, “I know I haven’t been the easiest person to talk to, especially lately. But I meant it when I said you can tell me anything. Okay?” he asked with a small smile. “If you want to,” he quickly added, not wanting to pressure her.

 

She smiled back at him before shifting to lay on her side, arms tucked around her middle.

 

“It’s something Carolyn said…” she began, pausing to gauge Steve’s reaction.

 

He remained silent as he repositioned himself to sit against his headboard, preparing himself for whatever this horrid woman had said to her.

 

“She said…when my Dad died, you tried to give me to her,” she said in what Steve almost thought sounded like a fond voice.

 

Before suddenly realizing what an absolute lie that was.

 

“Wait, she said _what_? Jo, I’ve never tried to give you away. Ever,” he said, sitting closer to her to address her more seriously. He felt fury grow in his gut – yet again – because of this woman. “Jesus Christ that **_bitch_** , no, I emailed her after…”

 

 _Fuck did it_ still _seriously hurt him to think about Buck?_

“After your Dad died, I thought about how little family you had. You just had me. And if something happened to me? ...I got scared and I emailed her, asking her if she’d like to be a part of your life. And that _fucking bitch_ told me not to reach out to her for money.” She looked shocked before her face morphed into a smile that produced a genuine laugh.

 

Okay, now he just stared at her dumbfounded.

 

“Am I missing the joke, here?” he asked with a hint of blush to his cheeks. She suddenly looked apologetic, moving to sit up fully before wincing in pain from the action.

 

He tried, he really tried not to laugh. Because it wasn’t funny.

 

She immediately pouted at him and smacked him with a pillow in disapproval.

 

“If you’re finished,” she said pointedly while sitting up in defiance. He could see the pain behind her eyes, but was impressed with her initiative enough to raise his hands in surrender.

 

“So, one, I was upset about that for all of point two seconds. She was throwing a lie in my face about you to get me to like her. And two, I didn’t even have to know it was a lie to not care about it, because…” she let out another laugh before looking at him with tears in her eyes.

 

“Because I didn’t care that you had a moment of weakness. It’s **you**. You were the only family I had for the…worst time of my life. When I…when I lost…”

 

He felt his heart pang in his chest, frowning at her also shedding tears thinking of Bucky. Steve reached his arms out to her invitingly, having an idea that would help the two out.

 

“Com’ere,” he said with a smile and a nod.

 

She looked back at him skeptically, eyes squinting at him but ultimately scooting over close enough for him to grab her. Minding her sore bottom, he carefully brought her over to sit comfortably in his lap. When she didn’t yelp in pain, he kept her steady with one arm while reaching the other one out to grab the tablet.

 

He settled the two more comfortably on the bed before placing the screen in front of them. He smiled when she shifted only slightly, settling in as he found one of their home movies. It was the one where she learned to walk – one of his personal favorites – as she let out a laugh before the two sat in comfortable silence.

 

They had several hours to kill; and since it seemed like neither could sleep anyway, might as well reminisce about their Bucky.


	39. Chapter 39

They only ended up sleeping for the last thirty or so minutes before his alarm went off. After watching several home movies, they’d spent the rest of the night – **just talking**.

 

She told him about Xavier, and Cara and even whined to him about Mr. Jefferson. Which he was not happy about, but he also opened up to her about this Stone guy and work drama – even confided in her about how at his next birthday he’ll be older than her Dad had ever been.

 

It was…actually really cool. Except for the Jefferson thing, he mostly just let her talk without interrupting her to voice his opinion on something. And having him tell her things, obviously omitting inappropriate stuff…like how truly repulsive this Stone guy was.

 

The good mood extended even after they only had half an hour to sleep, going through a drive thru coffee shop and grabbing extra drinks and donuts for the people they knew would already be there waiting for them.

 

Steve thought seven was a reasonable time for Tony to finally wake up – but apparently Peter thought it was five. Insisted on it, according to May’s voicemail. She had to go to work anyway, so Pepper and Rhodey met her at the hospital to take Pete for her.

 

The three were in the Tony’s room when she and Steve got there, Peter sprawled on top of the unconscious genius while the two adults stood off to the side talking quietly. She quickly set down the breakfast items on the nearest counter before walking over to the brunettes.

 

Before she could step any closer, Peter yelled at her.

 

“No!” he screamed, tiny hand reaching out to stop the teen. Tears prickled in her eyes as the guilt reappeared in her stomach.

 

“Pete,” she whispered.

 

“My Daddy!” the five year old cried painfully. The three adults quickly approached them, Pepper closest and trying to reassure the five year old with quiet whispers.

 

“Peter,” their Pop said tiredly, walking up to rub the boy’s back.

 

“No,” he cried again, “she doesn’t even love him, so he’s only my Daddy!” Peter tightened his tiny arms around the brunette, head buried in his stomach – away from his bandaged heart – as he continued crying his little eyes out.

 

Joey felt frozen in place as she painfully watched her little brother feel this way because of her. She felt someone bring her into a side hug, recognizing Rhodey and ever thankful for him as she felt her legs suddenly turn to jelly.

 

“Petey, that isn’t true baby,” Pepper said softly as Jim gently led the teen to sit down on the chair behind her. “He’s both your Daddies and she loves him just as much as you do–”

 

“–nu uh,” he cried out between his hyperventilating breaths.

 

“Peter, son you’re going to have a panic attack if you keep this up, you can’t breathe like this,” Steve said as he tried to calm down the screaming child.

 

Which – shockingly – woke up the guy recovering from surgery as he blinked his eyes awake. Joey saw him frown at the sight before him before speaking up.

 

“Hey now, what’s all this?” Tony rasped out. Everyone else’s face shot up at that, turning to welcome the man back to the land of the living.

 

“Daddy!” Peter cried as he calmed down enough to gently crawl up to kiss and smother the man’s face.

 

“Hey baby,” Tony said with a tired smile as he gently wrapped the boy in a hug. She saw Steve sit next to the two of them on the bed before turning to look at her. He offered a tired smile and a nod in their direction, silently asking her to join them.

 

She shook her head no with a small smile of her own, not wanting to cause any more stress to the man by making the boy scream again.

 

“Steve?” Tony asked, still waking up and getting his eyes familiar with his surroundings. The blonde turned back to his husband to reach down to give him a kiss in greeting. The genius hummed in approval before looking around the room.

 

“I’m missing someone,” the brunette grumbled as he tried to sit up more. Joey closed her eyes at that, wondering if not for the first time if she should’ve stayed home for this.

 

_Seemed like Peter had a point._

 

“Joey?” he asked before Peter interrupted him with another cry.

 

“NO!” he shouted, startling the man below him as she watched Steve move to pry Peter off of the man.

 

“Come on, Peter, you’re going to hurt your Daddy squeezing that tight.”

 

“No Papa,” he whimpered quietly, clearly exhausted. She watched her dads share a look before Steve tried again.

 

“Come on Petey-pie,” the blonde said again, finally able to pull the little koala bear off his Daddy long enough to bring him up into a hug. Steve stood up with him, giving her a second to see Tony while the man comforted the tired kid. She felt Rhodey nudge her shoulder, encouraging her to get up and walk over to the hospital bed.

 

“Hey, just the girl I was looking for,” he said with a smile as she felt tears begin trickling down her cheeks. She leaned down to carefully embrace him, ignoring the questioning look on his face in favor of hugging him tight.


	40. Chapter 40

He was still waking up, cursing his husband for not letting him have coffee yet, as he hugged his girl tight and watched his husband hold their sleeping five year old. Rhodey and Pepper weren’t any help either, just shushing him before giving the small family some privacy.

 

“Alright, someone wanna explain what happened while I was out? Cause I seem to be alive?” Tony asked quietly, smiling as he watched his husband chuckle while slowly rocking their boy back and forth after taking a seat nearby.

 

The brunette looked down at their girl, who was awake but looked too upset to talk. So he turned back to the blonde, who smiled back tiredly at the man.

 

_Seriously, what had he missed?_

 

“Your surgery went really well, Dr. Strange did an amazing job – just like you thought he would. But last night…” the blonde paused to sigh heavily and look at the teen on the genius’ chest.

 

Tony looked back down at Joey, noting that his hospital gown was starting to get damp from her tears. He squeezed her a little tighter before bringing a hand up to card through her hair. He had known that this could’ve been a possibility, her not listening to Steve’s orders to go to May’s. _Why else would Peter have been so upset?_

 

“Whatever happened, remember I still love you Jo,” he said in reassurance, frowning when that just produced more tears.

 

“Joey, we talked about this,” his husband said gently. “You’re not in trouble anymore, but one of us has to tell your Dad what happened,” he finished sadly.

 

_This was not helping his heart here, people._

She took her face out of his neck long enough to answer, but still turned away unable to fully face him.

 

“Officer Hill almost charged me with… _drunk driving_ ,” she finished quietly. He blinked a few times, wondering if he had heard her right.

 

“Run that by me again?” he asked, cause there’s no way she said what he thought she said.

 

“Tones,” Steve spoke quietly to get his attention. It worked, the genius turning to his husband for clarification.

 

“So I… _did_ hear her right? She drove drunk?” he asked. The teen groaned in his embrace before burying her face back into his neck, shoulders hunched in shame.

 

“Babe, she’s been sufficiently punished…” Steve started to say, surprising the brunette when _he_ was the one actually standing up for her.

 

_Not that Tony necessarily minded it._

 

“Hmm, so your Pop tanned your behind?” he asked her sympathetically. She actually chuckled at that, nodding while reaching one hand back to subconsciously rub her bottom.

 

He looked back over his husband, rolling his eyes but still smiling in approval at his actions when thinking of the possibility of losing that girl. He also tightened his grip around her, digesting that information as quickly as possible when a thought crossed his mind.

 

“Stevie did you give her any cream?” he asked as the teen shot back up with an offended look. However in doing so, she also sat back on her bottom and quickly stood up off the bed to steady herself after yelping in pain.

 

He couldn’t help but chuckle a little at that, especially when she threw a pout in his direction. Both their directions, once they heard Steve chuckle as well.

 

“What cream?” she asked after crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“We have this cream for um…such occasions,” he explained with a smile, before bursting out in laughter when she looked even more offended at the insinuation.

 

“Nope, enough, I don’t need to hear a single other word,” she said seriously, grabbing the hood part of Tony’s MIT hoody she had stolen and tightened it around her face in anguish.

 

“Tony, you are incorrigible,” his husband complained with his eyes closed, only getting a laugh from the brunette in bed.

 

“Aw, come on, this is my part of the punishment, she’s gotta hear how–”

 

“ _NOPE_!” she hissed quietly, not trying to wake Peter. “No, Dad, you see – I am running on no sleep, after a rough night, with an ass that is still on fire, I am not listening to you _also_ discuss your sex life all while before _eight freaking am_ ,” she quietly exclaimed before she quickly walked out of the room.

 

He turned back to smile at his husband who had rolled his eyes fondly back at the man.

 

“You’re ridiculous,” Steve whispered as he gently stood up to bring Peter over to lie back on top of the genius. He smiled without responding, knowing the man was right and preferring to snuggle back up with his son.

 

The genius scooted over after settling Pete on his chest, making room on the small hospital bed for his husband to join them. The taller man quickly obliged, carefully curling up around Tony before kissing him sweetly on the lips.

 

“How are you feeling, baby?” Steve asked him quietly.

 

“I mean…I still feel a little bit of emotional whiplash, but physically I feel great,” he said with a smile, turning back to his husband. The blonde, who looked equally exhausted, returned the smile before leaning over to kiss the brunette’s lips again.

 

Tony shifted a little to lay his head on his husband’s shoulder, smiling as the man responded by gently kissing his face a few times.

 

“What do you wanna do about Pete?” the blonde asked quietly.

 

“No fucking clue,” the brunette replied honestly, smiling when his husband chuckled a little at that, “guess we start by waiting for the tyke to wake up…”

 

“Yeah,” Steve whispered, “let’s put that off as long as possible,” he said as he snuggled more into Tony – who couldn’t help chuckle at that.

 

“Exhausted from parenting, are we?” he teased with a quirked brow. His love simply growled in response, which got another chuckle from the brunette.

 

“You can catch me up later, she seems okay for now…” Tony said tiredly, shifting the sleeping boy on his stomach a little.

 

“You’ll be happy to know we talked,” the blonde whispered to him with his eyes closed.

 

“Was this before or after the ass whooping?”

 

“Both, but after…I don’t know, we had a really good talk. Like, we ended up talking for hours and…I think it went really well, actually. ”

 

“Aw, that’s great pudding pop,” Tony said with a genuine smile, proud of his husband. “I’m proud of you,” he vocalized his thoughts, smiling when his husband blushed a little from the statement. A lethargic boy disrupted their conversation.

 

“Daddy?” Peter asked sleepily.

 

“Petey?” Tony whispered back.

 

“You’re okay?” he asked, pulling his head up to look at the men. Tony found himself easily carding his fingers through the boy’s brown curls, smiling and nodding back at his son.

 

“I told you he’d be okay, Petey-pie,” Steve whispered, eyes still closed.

 

“Papa always keeps his promises,” the boy happily hummed.

 

“He’s a pretty good Papa, huh?” Tony asked.

 

“The best,” Peter agreed, both seeing a smile spread across Steve’s handsome face.

 

“Mm, you think he loves me, Pete?”

 

“Duh,” the boy sassed, getting a laugh from his dads.

 

“And you love me?” he asked his boy.

 

“Double duh, Daddy,” the boy said in between giggles.

 

“Hm, then why don’t you think your sister loves me?” he asked, seeing Steve’s eyes open out of the corner of his eye. A frown quickly appeared on his boy’s face at the mention of the teen.

 

“She was bad and she wasn’t there for you,” he said quietly, before hiding his face in Tony’s side.

 

“What are you talking about? She was here this morning, right when I woke up.” Peter stayed hidden, not responding to him.

 

“I think, Petey-pie, you meant to say she wasn’t there for _you_ , huh bud? Because yes she was bad, but what she did last night doesn’t mean she loves you or me or Papa any less. I think you’re most upset she wasn’t with **you** last night. You wanted your big sister with you and instead she was getting in trouble, right?”

 

He stole a glance at his husband, seeing him smile and silently watch them, before turning back to their son.

 

“I promise, Pete, she still loves you and me a whole heck of a lot. Maybe not Papa, cause he was the one who spanked her last night for being bad,” he teased, glad to see his husband groan and his son look genuinely shocked.

 

“ _You did?_ ” the boy whispered to the blonde, who rolled his eyes before curling back up into the brunette.

 

“Yup. Drink and drive and I’ll tan your behind as well.” Tony jabbed the man with his elbow, because _that wasn’t what their son needed_ _to hear right now_. Steve pouted back at the man, rubbing his stomach before correcting himself.

 

“I think your Daddy is saying she’s been punished enough. And I know for a fact Joey feels really bad about abandoning you last night, Petey. She told me herself,” the blonde said more gently as he reached a hand up to rub their boy’s back.

 

“ _She did?”_ Pete whispered, getting another chuckle from the men as they both carefully moved to wrap their arms around him.

 

“I promise, Peter. She said she was going to try to think of a way to make it up to you, so if you have any ideas – let me know.” Tony watched his son hum in thought before extracting himself from their embrace to stand up off the bed.

 

“I’ll let _her_ know now!” the boy exclaimed in excitement before turning on his heel to sprint out of the hospital room.

 

“Jesus,” Steve blurted out. Tony snorted out a laugh, equally puzzled by this entire situation – but with considerably more sleep than the blonde.

 

“Yeah, that resolved a lot faster than I thought it would, I was about to butter him up with promises of candy.” His husband laughed fondly, rolling his eyes before curling up more freely around Tony –still mindful of his healing heart.

 

“And here I thought you were some parenting guru.”

 

“Hey! I still am, bribing children with candy is a key element to my style,” he sassed, immediately laughing when his husband shut him up in his absolute favorite way.

 

_And fuck, he almost forgot how delicious those lips of his were…_


	41. Chapter 41

A week after his surgery and her Dad was back at work. Not even in his lab, but back at his office at SI. She was thankful she and Peter had worked things out – and that her Pop was being more trusting with her after their long talk.

 

Things have definitely been calmer recently.

 

She texted her parents at school asking if she could go to her Dad’s office after, wanting his advice on how to win back Xavier. And spend more time with him. Not that that had anything to do with his recent surgery…or whatever.

 

Also, it was pretty much a straight shot train-wise to his office from school, minus an additional bus stop along the way. But she ended up getting a ride from Happy anyway – which was their way to compromise.

 

For once she didn’t complain, enjoying the quick and silent ride. She thanked him when he pulled up to stop, getting up and staring in awe at the Stark Tower.

 

She’d seen it plenty of times before, she just still stared in awe at it whenever she got to see it up close like this.

 

She took another moment before making her way inside, stopping to talk to her favorite receptionist – Gladys – who was an eccentric older woman who always made her feel welcome there.

 

_Like she was a real Stark._

 

She started walking down the hallway to the elevators, when she spotted a woman who made her heart stutter.

 

She was **beautiful**.

 

She didn’t look much older than Joey and was dressed in one of the standard Stark uniforms. _So she was an intern?_

 

Her inappropriate thoughts were interrupted by familiar heels clicking behind her. She turned around in time to make eye contact with one of her favorite ladies.

 

“Hey Joey! Tony said you’d be coming but I thought he was just a liar.”

 

“Hey Pep! Were his pants on fire? That usually is a dead give away,” the teen teased back, going in for the hug her pseudo aunt had her arms stretched out for. The woman laughed easily into the hug, causing the smile to stay plastered on Jo even when they pulled away.

 

“Oh man, are you still grounded? I’d love to take you out for a girl’s day.” Joey squinted her eyes at that, still smiling.

 

“Alright, which one was it?”

 

“I…what are you talking about?” Pepper asked with a smile.

 

“Which father told you I wanted more estrogen in my life?” she asked with a mock glare, going so far as to cross her arms over her chest. The blonde bit her lip before quickly relenting.

 

“It was Tony, okay? But I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t genuinely want to do that! You are…an amazing and hilarious young woman and I would absolutely love to spoil you.” The embarrassment Joey felt quickly subsided in favor of the love she felt in her chest.

 

“I…would actually love that. Except I think my rollover days for being grounded caught up to me. So it might be a while.”

 

“Ha! I love your parents, but sometimes they are idiots…”

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

“Well, I’ll see if I can ‘persuade’ Tony,” the blonde added with a wink before waving at someone behind the teen. “I have to go to a meeting, it was great seeing you honey. I’ll see you soon!” she called out already clicking her way down the hall.

 

_Damn, she was lucky to have Pepper._

 

She finally focused on her destination, taking the elevator to the top floor and around the hallway corner to her Dad’s office. His assistant was there and turned to greet her.

 

“Hey Joey! Your Dad said to just send you back,” Marcus said with a smile.

 

“Thanks Marcus,” she said to the man, throwing a smile his way while walking past him to go into her Dad’s extravagant office. He was leaning back in his chair, phone to his ear as he had his feet up on his desk. He turned and smiled at her as she walked in, waving her to come sit while he finished talking.

 

“Hey, I gotta let you go, the most beautiful girl in the world just walked into my office,” he said with a wink to her as she sat across from him.

 

She rolled her eyes fondly, laughing as he continued, “yeah, yeah it’s Joey.”

 

“Tell Rhodey I say hi,” she added, chuckling when he laughed into the phone. “She says hi, okay I’ll tell her, bye Rhodes. Jo, Rhodey says hey,” he said with a smile as he sat up to face her.

 

“How’s he doing?” she asked.

 

“Great! He had just aced some exam to rank higher, or something. I don’t know, I wasn’t paying attention. How was school?”

 

“Oh, um. I mean, it was…fine. Lonely, but fine.”

 

“Ah, so you and Xavier are still fighting?” he asked as wheeled his chair around to sit closer to her, making her laugh as he propped his feet back up on his desk.

 

“Yeah,” she answered, looking down at her lap.

 

“Well, you could try apologizing…”

 

“Hey!” she said, turning to him offended. “He needs to apologize…”

 

“You _both_ need to apologize, pumpkin,” the genius said with a frown. _Jesus how can such a silly and ridiculous human also be so fucking wise?_

 

“Okay, well. I’m too stubborn to initiate it and he’s probably glad to be free of a ‘white trash carnie’ for a friend.” She was startled when he suddenly brought his feet back down, seeing real anger behind his eyes for the first time.

 

“Okay, first of all you ridiculous child, Xavier loves you and has been texting me about all of this **for days now** – which is why I invited him over for dinner.” She didn’t have time to be surprised at that, as he continued with his little speech.

 

“Second of all, your father was a great man, and snotty little shits reducing him to a white trash carnie when he owned and operated his own mechanic shop for ten years is… _fucked_.” She couldn’t stop the snort of laughter from that, feeling an incredible amount of love for this man.

 

“Third of all, you’re going to tell me what that shit of an English teacher said to you. That’s right, Steve told me.” She sat there dumbfounded, going over his three points and glaring at him for the last one – _betrayed by her own kind_.

 

“Jeez you two are quite the team, aren’t you?” she sassed at him.

 

“You love us.”

 

“Eh,” she said while waving her hand, just to be a little shit.

 

“Liar liar, plants for hire.” _Fuck she really did love this man._

 

“It’s pants on fire, Patrick.”

 

“Well you would know, liar!” they shouted together before erupting in laughter.

 

“Alright, I know you got the beans – so spill them,” he said after a moment.

 

“Fine. So…when Staci…”

 

“The cunt?”

 

“Yes, the cunt. So when Staci the cunt and her entourage approached me between classes, she called me a dyke in front of Mr. Jefferson and he said nothing. He did, however, address me as Miss Stark… _cause you know, assholes say I’m not your real kid_ , and so I asked if he **wanted me to bring my father into this** …and he said _“your father died years ago. If you’re referring to your uncle’s sugar daddy, then sure, bring in the celebrity playboy turned housewife”_ to come down for…whatever bullshit reasons he spilled. _”_

 

She looked back up at him, wondering how he would react to that and also wondering if she should’ve said those exact words.

 

“Isn’t his class the only class you’re failing?” he asked, surprising the teen.

 

“Yeah, I’ve been saying he’s out to get me!” she whined, genuinely upset about that grade.

 

“Oh, that fucker is going down,” he growled out, crossing his arms as he looked like he was plotting the most evil demise ever. His expression quickly softened as he looked back up at her, demeanor changing as well.

 

“Jo, I’m sorry, that fucker will go down, but you know what he said wasn’t true right?” he asked gently. She gave him his infamous smirk right back.

 

“Yes, I’m aware, can we plot his demise now?” she asked. He laughed fondly at that before turning back to be more serious with her.

 

“Okay, just making sure. I’m just…I’m sorry other people keep bringing up the name thing…”

 

“I know! Honestly I think I’m just going to take it,” she whispered. When she looked back over at her dad, he suddenly had tears in his eyes.

 

“It’s your decision, I just…hate that people give you a hard time over this…”

 

“Yeah well, they’d tease whether I took your name or not, I just didn’t…” she trailed off, deciding she should finally tell him the truth. “I already told you when I was drugged up that it wasn’t cause of my Dad. It was…it was once again about Steve,” she said with a smile. He laughed fondly at that, sitting closer to her to listen.

 

“Dad never really talked about his father…but his friend Gabe told me about the man that hurt him and Pop. That’s when not wanting Barnes made more sense. So…for a while there I was kind of waiting for Steve to adopt me, wondering what was taking him so long to give me Rogers. And…I kinda got hooked on the idea of Rogers. Then Pop said he was dropping Rogers after you guys got married and I…it all just felt like too much change. Does that make any sense?” she asked the billionaire.

 

He looked back at her dumbfounded.

 

“Steve didn’t drop Rogers?”

 

Now it was her turn to look dumbfounded.

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“Your Pop’s legal name is Steven Grant Rogers-Stark. He didn’t drop Rogers, he just added Stark at the end and sometimes introduces himself as such. Just like I added Rogers, my legal name is Anthony Edward Stark-Rogers. He is still Captain Rogers, though, for all intents and purposes.” She thought that over, before finalizing her decision.

 

“Okay, can I be Josephine Renee Rogers-Stark, then?” she asked. Instead of responding, he quickly wheeled his chair back around his desk to type some things up on his computer.

 

“Pepper is on it and will drop off the paperwork to sign before we leave here,” he said before turning back to her with a smile.

 

“Wow. You really _are_ good.”

 

“That I am. Now, let’s chat about our mutual friend Xavier.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't get the Spongebob reference, then we can't be friends.


	42. Chapter 42

He was so incredibly glad for her timing. He who shall not be named had his publicist reach out to him for a possible ‘work collaboration’ earlier today, and though his best friend helped calm him down, his girl was the one who really helped him.

 

He sent Steve a text on their way home, sitting in the back with Jo – who was listening to music on her headphones – while Happy drove them.

 

[Hey love, so…Xavier is joining us for dinner to make up with Jo. And after you and I should talk…cause Voldemort’s publicist reached out to me today]

 

[Yay Xavier, boo Voldemort. See you soon love <3]

 

[Do you want me to pick something up on the way home?]

 

[Nope, I’ve made plenty enough for the four of us]

 

[See? I knew I married you for a reason <3]

 

[I thought it was cause of my (eggplant emoji)?]

 

[You’re right. I was lying. You should send me a picture of it to remind me ;) ]

 

“Dad?” he heard Joey ask next to him. He quickly turned the screen to his smart phone off, turning to her with what he hoped was a straight face. “Did you hear what I asked?”

 

“Uh, no sorry. What?” he asked, doing his best to ignore his phone ping loudly with a message in his hand.

 

“Disney world? When are we going?” she asked with a brow raised.

 

“Oh, I’ll talk to Pop about it tonight,” he assured her, failing at ignoring the several other pings coming from his phone.

 

She glared at the device before turning that glare back at the genius.

 

“…you’re both disgusting,” she said before rolling her eyes fondly. She turned her attention to the window again as they pulled up to their home. He took that opportunity to check his phone, pouting at the messages.

 

[I’m not sending you a dick pic when you’re sitting next to our kid]

[Nice try though]

[I can send you another pic if you’d like ;P ]

 

The fourth message was a picture of his handsome husband’s face – which was frozen in a contorted and ridiculous manner; tongue sticking out and cross-eyed. He snorted a laugh, turning to see her look over curiously before showing her his phone, glad to see her also burst into giggles.

 

“You married that,” she said as she got out of the car and walked with Tony to the elevators.

 

“Heck yes I did,” Tony said, all the while changing his background to the new wallpaper his husband sent him.

 

“When’s he getting here?” Jo asked as she walked ahead of him to the kitchen.

 

“I told him to come over whenever, so I guess whenever he decides to get here,” he finished freezing in the entranceway to the kitchen. Cause he was here.

 

“Xavier! Hey buddy, good to see you,” he said as he walked over to give the shy teen a hug. The young man was taller than Tony, but that didn’t stop him from treating him like the kid he was.

 

“You too,” he said with a small smile, stepping back and standing awkwardly.

 

“Xavier was just telling me about his sister getting into med school,” the blonde offered to diffuse the tension.

 

“That’s amazing! Tell Zoe we said congrats!” Tony replied, smiling at his daughter also awkwardly standing there. “Alright you two, do I need to play mediator here, or are you two ready to apologize and make up?”

 

Tony laughed fondly when he heard his husband scoff at his tactics, watching the two teens blush red without looking at each other.

 

“I’m sorry Xavier, you were right but I just didn’t want to see it…” Joey began.

 

“No, I’m sorry Jo, I should’ve been more supportive…” Xavier said quietly.

 

“Good! Glad that’s settled, I missed my little lab buddy,” Tony said with a clap of his hands.

 

“Me too, I told Jo you’re the only reason I’m actually friends with her,” Xavier teased. His daughter looked offended before mock-glaring at the other teen.

 

“Oh. See…I thought it was cause you secretly wanted to fuck my dads…?” Jo teased back, the other two turning to the poor boy whose dark skin turned pink at the confession and brown eyes shot wide open.

 

“I don’t think I said those exact words…”

 

“Did I tell you guys about that?” Jo interrupted him, turning to her parents. “He told me if one of you died then he’d happily be my step-dad. He said he’d take either one of you.” Tony and Steve shared a look before bursting out laughing.

 

“Alright, no, I was just teasing…” Xavier stuttered out.

 

“He said he’d be your bottom,” she continued pointing to Steve before turning back to Tony. “And he said he’d let you decide, cause you’re the genius…” she continued as the fathers just kept laughing. Poor Xavier was blushing furiously.

 

“I don’t remember saying that…”

 

“Alright Jo, I think you’ve embarrassed the poor guy enough,” Steve offered as he pulled out the home-made pizzas he created out of the oven.

 

“I don’t…I want to hear more about me and Xavy’s secret love affair,” Tony teased, laughing more when the poor kid grumbled in response. “Aw, honeybun don’t be like that, I thought what we had was special…”

 

He was interrupted from continuing his teasing when his husband threw a towel at his head, getting a laugh from the teens.

 

“You wanna sleep on the couch tonight?” the blonde asked him, pulling out the slicer to cut up slices of pizza for them.

 

“Oh, dirty talk, Steven? At least wait until Jo leaves so the three of us can establish a safe-word,” he retorted.

 

“DAD. SERIOUSLY,” Joey grumbled, grabbing plates to pass out among the four of them.

 

“Tony,” his husband groaned.

 

“Not helping your case there, hot stuff,” he further teased at the blonde, laughing when the three people collectively groaned in complaint.

 

“ _Pop_ ,” Joey whined at the taller man, finger pointing at the shorter one.

 

“Anthony, you’re already sleeping on the couch tonight, you wanna lose your lab privileges too?” Steve asked him. The genius immediately pouted at that, knowing how true to his word that stubborn blonde of his was.

 

“Alright! Fine, I apologize Xavier.”

 

“Can Xavy and I eat in the living room? Away from mister inappropriate over here?” Joey asked pointedly.

 

“No” Tony said at the same time Steve said “yes.”

 

“Thanks!” she said as she dragged the other teen out of the kitchen.

 

Tony turned back to his husband with a bigger pout on his face, while the blonde simply raised his brows in challenge.

 

“Don’t you and I need to talk?” Steve asked him, bringing his plate to the dinner table. The brunette added a groan for good measure, not liking the sudden turn of events.

 

“We don’t… _have to_ …” the brunette tried.

 

“Aw, come on baby. Come sit by me and I’ll make it worth your while,” Steve said with a wink while patting the seat next to him.

 

“If you insist,” he sassed back before obliging his husband.


	43. Chapter 43

After they bid goodbye to Xavier and goodnight to Joey, Steve dragged Tony to their bedroom to reward his husband for talking to him about ‘Voldemort’ – as Tony adequately named him. The brunette had an idea to get rid of him that would mean speaking to Stone’s father, Obadiah.

 

Steve didn’t love it, but he promised if it ever meant speaking one on one with the pathetic excuse for a man, that Steve would be in the same room.

 

He focused his attention on the beautiful man in front of him, running his hand through the brown curls that were getting long. _Which Steve of course loves, reminding himself later to ask him not to cut it just yet._ His love stood on his tip toes and kissed his lips, Steve finding it easy to return the kiss as his hands roamed down to the most amazing ass, cupping both cheeks before bringing the two closer together.

 

Tony hummed in approval, a smile appearing on his lips as Steve started walking the two back to their bed. His love fell back and bounced on the mattress, putting a smile on his handsome face. Steve smiled back at him, moving his hands along his love’s abs to lift his shirt up.

 

His husband bit his lip and raised his arms up, making it easier for Steve take the shirt off completely. He smiled at the small scar on his husband’s chest as he gently shifted the man further up on the bed where he could lay them out.

 

He bent down and kissed the scar, stopping when his love pushed him back in protest.

 

“Don’t focus on that, it’s ugly,” Tony said with a pout. Steve frowned and quirked a brow at him in confusion.

 

“What are you talking about? It’s one little line…”

 

“Baby, there is plenty of me for you to focus on, can it not be the reminder that I needed heart surgery before forty?” Steve found himself cocking his head to the side, glaring a little at the love of his life.

 

“Every inch of you is beautiful,” he said in his best no-nonsense tone, glaring a little more when Tony simply rolled his eyes in response. “Fine,” Steve said, accepting the challenge. He quickly finagled his husband’s pants off, along with his underwear before Steve quickly shed his own clothing, triumphantly kicking off his undergarments before turning back to his man.

 

His love was suppressing a laugh watching him, not saying anything but clearly enjoying himself. He quickly climbed back over the brunette, determined to prove him wrong.

 

He bent down and kissed his scar along his ribs – from a lab incident – taking his time before moving to the small tattoo on his hip bone.

 

It was Marvin the Martian from his drunken college days, Steve smiling as he placed gentle kisses around the area.

 

“Care to explain yourself there hot stuff?” Tony asked. The blonde looked back up at him as if it was obvious, moving down to the brunette’s thigh to focus on the next scar.

 

“I’m kissing all of your scars.”

 

“Tattoos?”

 

“They count,” he said before lifting the smaller man’s legs up to focus on the other scars on his legs and feet from more ‘lab incidents.’ Tony laughed but otherwise remained silent, watching his love tenderly kiss each and every scar before moving up to another tattoo on his other rib.   
  
It was of a note Peter had written for him {I LOVE DADDY} for Father’s Day, including a small drawing of the two. Steve smiled as he bent down to kiss that scar as well, chuckling when Tony ran his hands through his blonde hair in approval.

 

He then gently rolled the man over to focus on the scars along his back, adding his hands to roam over the man’s olive-skin. He found himself smiling again as he kissed the tattoo on his upper shoulder, smile brightening when his love chuckled below him.

 

It was his tattoo for Joey, which he let her pick out after the wedding/adoption ceremony. It was a tiger lily with a ‘J’ on one of the petals.

 

Steve then kissed yet another ‘lab incident’ scar on the back on his neck, smiling when his husband hummed happily.

 

“Almost regret not getting a tattoo on my ass,” the brunette murmured as he wiggled his rear a little. Steve gently swatted said ass with a chuckle before responding.

 

“You don’t ruin perfection,” he said before gently rolling the man back on his back to focus on the one that started this.

 

The one Tony was apparently most insecure about. He looked up at his husband as he kissed the surgery scar on his chest, smiling when the man blushed back at him.

 

“See?” Steve said as he sat up to straddle his man. “Every single inch,” he said as he grabbed his husband’s left hand, one final scar to focus on. Tony rolled his eyes fondly below him until the blonde stuck the man’s entire ring finger in his mouth, tongue caressing the silver band covering the tattoo. It might have been a little narcissistic, since it was Steve’s name and all, but he was guessing by the hardening member poking him it wasn’t a bad idea.

 

He pulled the finger out of his mouth with a ‘pop,’ smiling down at his handsome man.

 

“Beautiful,” he whispered before leaning down to finally kiss the man’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RDJ has individual tattoos for his wife and three kids - thought it was cute so I had Tony do it too <3


	44. Chapter 44

The next day at school, she was beyond relieved to have her ~~only~~ friend back. She needed the help avoiding Cara, who kept trying to talk to Joey one on one. Which, of course, Xavier was more than happy to oblige.

 

She didn’t care and didn’t want to hear whatever that bitch had to say. She just wanted to focus on getting through the day without really drawing any attention to herself.

 

Which turned out to be quite difficult when your celebrity father showed up at your school unannounced.

 

She was walking in the halls when she heard commotion around the front office. Since she wasn’t necessarily in any hurry to get to her English class, she tried to peer above the crowd to see what all the hubbub was about.

 

And then, pushing through the crowd of students and teachers, was Tony. He smiled and waved when he saw her, walking over to her as she just stared back in shock.

 

“H-hey,” she stuttered out.

 

“Hey sweetheart!” he said before bringing her into a quick hug. She looked around at the crowd while he just focused on her.

 

“What uh…what are you doing here?”

 

“What I can’t just drop by and say hi to my daughter?” he asked skeptically. _Which didn’t fool her for a minute._

 

“Uh huh,” she said just as skeptically with a small smile.

 

“Can I walk you to class? What’s next for you?” he said as he grabbed her arm and began dragging her down the hall.

 

“Wait…no…” she began to say, because it almost seemed like he had planned to see her just as she was walking to a certain teacher’s classroom…

 

“ _Tony,_ ” she hissed at him, trying to pry her arm away from his grip. “Are you serious??”

 

“As a heart attack. Get it?” he quipped with a smile, only earning a glare from the teen.

 

“That’s not funny,” she said, yanking her arm away when they approached Mr. Jefferson’s door; mortified with the sudden turn of events.

 

“Neither is allowing this man to continue teaching,” he said seriously as he barged his way into the classroom. “Mr. Jefferson, may I have a word?” he asked the startled man sitting as his desk.

 

The rest of the class stared in awed confusion at the celebrity while Joey wished she was invisible – cringing when the man made his way to join them in the hallway. Mr. Jefferson closed the door behind him so the other students couldn’t listen in.

 

“Mr. Stark, to what do we owe the honor?”

 

“Cut the bullshit, Donald. I know what you’re doing to my kid, and I’m here to tell you it stops right fucking now.” The disheveled man scoffed before responding.

 

“I’m not sure what Miss Barnes here has told you but–”

 

“–Miss Rogers-Stark, you will call her by her legal name.” Mr. Jefferson stole a glance at Joey before turning back to her Dad.

 

“Right, well whatever Josephine has been telling you, I can assure you I treat all my students equally–”

 

“Oh, so you humiliate and talk down to all of your students? Do you also fuck with **all** of their educations by using what tiny power you have to manipulate their grades? Cause I looked over her essays and exams, you’ve been cheating her of her grades.”

 

“Mr. Stark, I don’t take accusations lightly–”

 

“–nor should you, because I’m suing your ass and seeing to it you never teach again,” Tony snarled as he stepped closer to the man, never breaking eye contact. Mr. Jefferson had about four inches on her Dad, but that didn’t stop the man from cowering in front of him.

 

_Shit he’s a lot scarier than she thought he was._

 

“M-Mr. Stark…”

 

“Oh, I see so you’re confident when you’re belittling a teenager, but face to face with a man and cat’s suddenly got your tongue?” Joey couldn’t help chuckling next to him. “Oh, sorry, _housewife_ , if I remember correctly. Well, let’s hope you find your voice in court; cause you’re going to need it.” The man stood there gaping at him while Tony grabbed Joey’s arm to lead them away

 

“Dad what the fuck?” she laughed at him, still in amazement of that verbal ass-kicking.

 

“What? You honestly thought I would let that slide?”

 

“What? Wait, where are we even going there’s like three hours left of school?” she asked as he continued dragging her right out the front door.

 

“I figured I owed you for springing myself on you like that,” he said sincerely as he let her go while they walked to his car.

 

Joey smiled and reached out to grab his arm to stop him. He turned back to her with a confused expression.

 

“Thank you,” she said with misty eyes. “I love you, Dad.” His eyes got waterier than hers as he smiled brightly back at her.

 

“I love you too, Joey,” he said before quickly enveloping her in a hug. She chuckled when he squeezed her tighter, feeling his kiss her temple before releasing her.

 

“So what do you think? Should we grab a bite to eat?” he asked as he started the engine of his Camaro. Joey thought about that before an idea popped into her head.

 

“We should bring Steve some food at his station.” Tony turned to her with a confused expression as they drove out of the school parking lot.

 

“You hate the station.”

 

“Yes, well, I want to make sure my Pop gets a balanced meal…” The man turned to give her his infamous smirk, not believing her for a second. “…and if we so happen to see Thor…”

 

“You are absolutely right!” he quickly agreed and changed his demeanor. “I should really make an effort to visit my husband at his workplace more often! You are truly a genius my dear.” Joey couldn’t help laughing at that, knowing that man was also full of shit as they made their way to pick up some food to bring to Steve.

 

When they got to the station, they saw Sam and Thor getting out of their truck, greeting them as they entered the station with them. She had suggested getting enough for the other medics, ignoring her Dad’s inappropriate joke about hand feeding the Australian.

 

The Captain came out of his office when he heard the commotion in the common area, smiling at seeing his husband and daughter surprise him.

 

“Hey babe,” Steve greeted his husband, pulling him in for a quick kiss. “What are you guys doing here?”

 

“What? I can’t surprise my husband and his hard working employees with some Mexican food?” Tony asked as Joey tried her best not to stare at the god.

 

“Of course you can, anytime man,” Sam said after he sent Steve a glare.

 

“Uh huh, Jo, how’d it go with your teacher?” he asked the teen.

 

“Great.”

 

“…great? Your dad ambushes you at school to yell at your teacher and it was great?”

 

“Duh,” she said to him before turning back to watch the tall hunk of man wipe some queso off his face and lick his finger.

 

“I see…” she heard him say, unable to focus her attention on anything else. She heard a yelp coming from her Dad, turning around to see her Pop had swatted him for also staring at the god.

 

“So glad you guys came to visit,” he said sarcastically.

 

“Yes, thank you for the wonderful food,” Thor said sincerely with a beautiful smile, taking his plate to join Sam on the couch.

 

“You’re welcome,” she whispered, still in a daze. Until her Pop pinched her arm, slightly annoyed at his two loves.

 

“You’re gay,” he hissed at her while she rubbed her elbow.

 

“I think he could turn me,” she said absently, smiling when her Dad burst into laughter.

 

“Wow, thank you both for coming to my place of work to gawk at my employee,” the blonde said with an eye roll as he began to make his own plate. “If you’ll both excuse me,” he said with a mock-glare before taking his plate back to his office.

 

“Dammit I have to follow him don’t I?” Tony asked as Joey laughed aloud at him.

 

“Sucks for you,” she said, sticking her tongue out for good measure.

 

She laughed when he returned it, grabbing her plate to join the eye candy on the couch and leaving him to eat with his husband.


	45. Chapter 45

Steve picked up Peter after school, taking off early to help May out while also trying to think of something he and the little man could do for Tony.

 

He was meeting with Obadiah today, and Steve couldn’t focus on anything else. He really, _really_ wished he could just take care of this man himself – but as Pepper so politely reminded him – _it would do more harm than good._

 

So he was actually thankful when May called him to ask if he could pick up Peter after school.

 

He definitely could use the distraction.

 

And also loved spending time with his son.

 

He parked his car outside of the school, stepping out and looking for a mini-Tony amongst a crowd of tiny kids.

 

“Papa!” he heard a shout, turning to see his favorite little guy barreling towards him. He caught him as he jumped into his arms, bringing him into a hug and chuckling at his boy.

 

“Mama said you were picking me up and I got so excited I told everyone my Papa was coming to get me!” Peter practically shouted to the blonde as he helped Peter sit and buckle up in the backseat.

 

“That’s so sweet of you, Petey-pie! I was excited to hear I got to pick you up too,” Steve said with a smile once he got seated in the driver’s seat. “How was school today?” he asked as he began driving them home.

 

“It was great! We talked about what we want to make for Mother’s Day. But hey, Papa?”

 

“Yeah baby?”

 

“How come there’s no Papa’s Day?” Steve couldn’t help chuckling at that.

 

“There’s already a Father’s Day, Pete.”

 

“Yeah but you should get your own day, not have to share it with Daddy.”

 

“Oh yeah? I don’t mind sharing with him.”

 

“Not the point, Papa,” the boy teased fondly, reminding him exactly of his father. “I was talking to my friend Gwen, and she has a step-mommy and a mommy. And we asked Ms. Jacobson why there isn’t a day for step-mommies and daddies cause they shouldn’t have to share. But she didn’t know either.”

 

The smile on Steve’s face grew at the sincerity of his son’s statement.

 

If he could go back in time and smack his younger self for not wanting kids, he totally would.

 

“Well, that’s very sweet Petey. But not everyone has step-parents. And I love that I get to share that day with Daddy, it just reminds me I’m your father too. Plus your Daddy is spoiled enough and needs to learn to share…” he teased. Pete laughed in the backseat, getting a chuckle from Steve as well.

 

“Is Daddy okay?” his boy asked, suddenly changing in demeanor.

 

“Of course baby,” he reassured him as he glanced in the rear view mirror. “Why do you ask?”

 

“He seemed sad this morning.”

 

“Oh, well he knew he was going to have a tough day at work today. He wasn’t looking forward to it is all.”

 

“Oh…do you know when he’s coming home?”

 

“Sometime tonight, love.” Peter hummed in response, looking like he was thinking as they pulled up to their home. He was quiet until they got to the elevator.

 

“Papa?” Peter asked after pushing the button for their floor.

 

“Yeah?” he asked as he ran his fingers through the boy’s brown curls.

 

“Can we do something nice for Daddy? To cheer him up?” Steve couldn’t stop himself if he tried, picking that sweet kid up and hugging him tight before responding.

 

“Of course baby, what a great idea! You are such a sweet boy,” he said as he added a few kisses to his cheek. Peter squealed in delight before trying to escape his grasp.

 

Which, honestly, only inspired the man to tickle the unsuspecting child.

 

His laugh was infectious as he carried the two to the kitchen, gently placing his son down on the tile floor.

 

“So what do you think, Petey? Should we make Daddy cookies or brownies?” Peter looked like he was thinking it over before jumping up and down excitedly.

 

“Oh! Papa! Porky no lassos?” That took the blonde a second, before he curled over in laughter.

 

“¿Porque no los dos?” Steve asked this absolutely ridiculously adorable child to clarify. The boy shook his head vigorously before cheering at the prospect of so many sweets.

 

“Just like your Daddy,” the blonde murmured fondly, walking to the cabinets to check what ingredients they had.

 

Peter was still dancing when they heard the elevators ding, indicating Joey was home.

 

“JOEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!” Peter shouted suddenly, startling the man so that he dropped the brown sugar he had just picked up.

 

“PETERRRRR!” he frowned as he heard his daughter shout back. He turned around as his kids collided into an adorable hug, shaking his head fondly as they lost balance and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

 

“How was school Joey?” he asked the teen as she stood up to carry Peter around the kitchen piggy back style.

 

“Eh, it was school. Mr. Jefferson was super nice to me today for some weird reason…” she said as she set Peter down to inspect what the blonde was doing.

 

“Oh, what an interesting turn of events,” Steve said with a smile as he looked thru his mom’s old recipe book.

 

“Whatcha making?” she asked.

 

“Peter wants to make cookies and brownies for Daddy cause he’s having a rough day at work.”

 

“Aw, Peteroo that is so sweet!” she said as she enveloped her brother in another hug. “And that has nothing to do with the fact you get to eat some of these cookies and brownies, eh little brother?”

Joey asked as she began tickling the little boy.

 

“Of course not!” he giggled as he tried to escape her grasp.

 

“Uh huh,” the teen teased before letting him go. “And you,” she said as she pointed a finger at Steve, “don’t pretend you aren’t the secret brains of this operation. I see you over there making marble brownies…which I happen to know are your favorite…”

 

He blinked several times in surprise at her, should’ve guessed she knew him better as a smile broke across his face.

 

“Wow. You’d make a great detective, Jo,” he said sincerely.

 

However, he immediately rolled his eyes when she pretended to shoot him with her finger guns like the smug little brat she was.

 

“Actually, I’m thinking of law school…” she said nonchalantly as Steve found himself gawking at his teen.

 

The same one who weeks ago told her parents her goal was to become a ‘trophy wife.’

 

“Are you…are you serious Joey?”

 

“Why is that so shocking? I’m good at arguing.”

 

“Well,” he teased back, a huge grin across his face at seeing her look offended at that. “No, I’m kidding, of course you’d be an amazing lawyer Jo. I’m just…I’m proud of you, kiddo.” That caught her off guard, reminding the blonde he needed to say it more often.

 

“Thanks Pop,” she said with a blush before quickly enveloping him in a hug.

 

He would’ve taken her seriously, except he heard giggles behind him as he glanced back to see his two children sneaking chocolate behind his back.

 

Steve quickly whirled around and enveloped both of his ridiculously incredible kids into a bear hug, before mercilessly tickling the pair.

 

_Seriously, go back in time. Smack the shit out of his dumbass self._

_Cause he seriously loved his babies._


	46. Chapter 46

He hadn’t been able to sleep since he’d talked to Obadiah. The man told him he not only had ‘no control over his son’ but that he was also looking into retiring…which could mean Ty could take over Stone Inc.

 

Steve was pretty furious, but the man could still sleep through just about anything. So he didn’t notice the last few nights when Tony slipped out of bed to either work in his lab or watch TV in the living room.

 

Currently, he was watching Spongebob while laying out on his couch – his brain working overdrive to think of a solution to this. That ‘doesn’t involve killing him’ … _thanks Pepper._

 

That’s when he heard a scream.

 

Definitely coming from Joey’s room, making the brunette quickly get up and begin walking to her bedroom.

 

Just as he got to the door, he heard her cry out “daddy!” and it had him stopping in his tracks.

 

 _Bucky_.

 

He hesitated, wondering if Steve was the better man for this job, double guessing if she’d even want comfort right now. Tony never even met the guy, so how could he help her remember the man to calm her down?

 

He opened the door when he heard her cry out again, paternal instincts taking over as he walked over to her bed. He switched on the lamp on her bedside table, able to see her tear stained and scrunched up face, obviously mid-nightmare.

 

Tony gently sat on the bed next to her and shook her awake. 

 

“Joey, wake up, you’re having a nightmare.” Her eyes shot open and blinked at him a few times. He offered a half-smile in return, once again wondering if he should’ve gotten Steve for this.

 

However, those thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly grabbed his face before pulling him into a fierce hug. She hugged him so tightly he actually felt the air leave his lungs. She continued crying while she clung to him as the genius shifted them more comfortably on the bed – and to allow himself to actually breathe in her iron grip.

 

“ _You’re okay_ ,” she whispered.

 

_And oh._

 

**Oh.**

_She was…she dreamt…_

Tony felt unwanted tears start spilling down his cheeks as a poorly timed smile appeared on his face. _His kid had a nightmare and he’s sitting here smiling like an idiot because…_

 

_He should not be this smug about it._

 

_But fuck it he was._

 

He kissed her head a few times before whispering, “I’m right here Jo. I’m not leaving you.” He assumes it was the right thing to say, feeling her tears continue to stain his shirt but her shaking sobs die out.

 

“Do you wanna tell me what your dream was about?” he asked wanting to both help her calm down and selfishly answer his question.

“I dreamt…” she began before turning to rest her head on his shoulders to be heard more clearly, “I dreamt that Stone guy killed you. He blew up your car. And…it was just like in Dad’s dream when…I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

 

So…while it confirmed his suspicions…it also raised several.

 

Tony wasn’t a superstitious person, having grown up around science, but he wonders if that was something Ty was capable of doing…his thoughts are interrupted when she buried her face back in his neck.

 

_Right, you’re not here to comfort yourself, genius._

 

“Baby, trust me, that is not what that man is after. He doesn’t want to kill me, he wants to control me. If you want to be worried about anything, worry about your Pop going to prison for assault. He’s going to beat his ass when he sees him…”

 

“ _When_ he sees him?” she repeated back to him.

 

“Yeah,” Tony said lamely…probably should’ve left that part out. But hey, he had tried to make it a policy to not lie to his kids, and she was basically an adult anyway. “I think I’m going to have to have a meeting with him to…‘ _convince_ ’ him to leave the country.”

 

She pulled away from him at that, looking like she was thinking his words over.

 

“And you’re letting Pop attend that?” she asked with a quirked brow. He chuckled at his daughter before responding.

 

“He made me promise him,” he said reluctantly, smiling when his girl just laughed at that.

 

“Alright, well, you have the money to bail him out…so,” Tony laughed as he brought her back into his embrace, heart burning with love for this girl. “He’s lucky it’s Steve and not me.”

 

“Oh yeah? You’d kick his ass for me?” he asked with a smile. She pulled away again to look at him before answering.

 

“Fuck yes I would. I’ve seen his pictures, he doesn’t look that tough.”

 

“You’re right, he’s actually a coward. You could totally kick his ass,” he said confidently as she wiped her eyes tiredly.

 

“What were you doing up?” she asked, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to hear her from their bedroom.

 

“…I can’t sleep thinking about seeing him again. Last time I saw him…” he trailed off thinking about watching police arrest a drunk Ty that had broken into Tony’s mansion.

 

“Pop told me very little, but I can picture what kind of fuck face this guy is,” Joey said quietly, startling the man from his thoughts.

 

 “Hey,” she said, continuing when he made eye contact. “For the record, in case it wasn’t completely obvious, I am so _fucking_ happy you and Steve found each other. My…other dad,” she said with a smile, getting a laugh from the genius. “He’d be happy to have you as a brother-in-law. Not even just what you’ve done with Steve, but me too. We were…broken when you two met. And it’s like, you put us back together. I just want you to know…I loved my Dad and obviously I will never forget him, but I think he’d love knowing you took over the mantle.”

 

Tony felt hot tears spill down his cheeks as he stared at her in awe, taking those words in. His bottom lip wobbled before bringing her back into a crushing embrace.

 

“Thank you. I love you Joey.”

 

“Love you too Dad.” Tony kissed her temple twice before eventually releasing her. He ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe some tears away, smiling at this amazing girl.

 

“Pretty sure I’m the lucky one,” he said quietly, smiling further at seeing her cheeks turn pink from that.

 

“Are you going back to bed now, cheeseball?” she asked with a smirk. _Oh, hello using humor as a coping mechanism._

 

“Yup,” he said leaning forward to kiss her forehead before he stood up. “What about you, sweetheart? I can stay if you need me to…”

 

“You need sleep,” the hypocrite said.

 

“So do you,” he returned with his tongue sticking out; as mature adults do.

 

“Yeah, well…there’s a pretty big difference between the two of us,” she said as she settled back down in her bed.

 

“Oh? Pray tell, what would that be?”

 

“Well, to be fair, it was true when I was little, but not now, you see _now_ : **I don’t need Steve to fall asleep**.” He mock glared at her, trying not to consider how right she was.

 

“I don’t…” he lamely said, unable to think of a comeback.

 

“Uh huh, can you turn my lamp off on your way back to your teddy bear?” _What a little shit_ , he thought fondly as he leaned down to kiss her cheek one more time before obliging her request, Tony finding comfort in the dark room as he walked towards the open door.

 

“Goodnight, Jo,” he said as he grabbed the door to close.

 

“Night Dad,” she said quietly, already falling back asleep.

 

The walk back to his bedroom was peaceful and heartwarming. Her words washed over him like a soothing wave, ridding himself of the anxiety thinking about what’s his face.

 

He was a lucky man, with an amazing family.

 

_And this fucker wouldn’t change that._


	47. Chapter 47

He had just finished doing another load of laundry when Tony came in.

 

“Hey babe, you know I can pay people to do that, right?” he asked, smiling as he leaned against the door frame.

 

“Surprised you even found this room, did you have to ask Jarvis where I was?” he sassed back to his husband. The brunette rolled his eyes fondly but didn’t argue, walking over to the man to wrap his arms around his waist while Steve kept folding Peter’s clothes.

 

“So…I’ve got good news and bad news,” Tony mumbled into his back.

 

“Uh oh, what’s the bad news?”

 

“I need you as my date to a fundraiser tonight.”

 

“Do I have to?” Steve whined, never a fan of hanging out with rich snobs.

 

“Well…Ty will be there…” his husband said quietly and Steve found his body going rigid at the thought.

 

“Oh, then yes of course I’ll be your date,” he said with a sigh, smiling when his husband tightened his hold around him. “What was the good news?” he asked, suddenly remembering.

 

“Oh, I have a way to make it up to you…” Tony said with a sing-songy voice. Curiosity getting the better of him, he shifted around to face the man with a quirked brow.

 

The genius simply raised his eyebrows several times as Steve waited for him to explain.

 

“I bought something…special for the occasion…” his love said as he nodded to their bedroom down the hall. Steve rolled his eyes fondly, leaving the clothes for now as the two walked out of the laundry room and down the hall.

 

When they entered their bedroom, Steve shut the door behind him as Tony sauntered over to their closet.

 

“I’ll let you pick, stud muffin,” the brunette said as he came back into view with a box.

 

“Am I wearing whatever is in here or..?”

 

“No no, I’m wearing it tonight, you just get to pick. I will say,” he added as he opened the box and put it on the bed next to Steve, “the purple one might be my favorite.”

 

The blonde’s expression went from confused to shocked as his eyes widened at what was inside.

 

There were at least five pairs of lacy underwear, two of which were thongs.

 

And one of the thongs, was also the only purple pair in the group.

 

The thought brought Steve’s soldier to attention, picturing what that gorgeous ass would look like in sexy ladies underwear. Cheeks flushed, he looked back at his husband whose expression had turned dark with lust.

 

“See, I was thinking before we go, you fuck me, then plug me up so I get to walk around all night with your cum inside me. Then, at some point tonight, we sneak off somewhere and you can just take me again. I’ll be all loose and ready for you,” he said as Steve gulped audibly thinking of the possibility.

 

“I’d be so full of your spunk, maybe a little will spill out…drip down my leg…”

 

“ _Tony_ ,” Steve whined as that bastard just kept teasing the blonde, standing up off the bed and grabbing the blue bikini cut.

 

“What do you think Stevie?” he asked as he turned around to hold the underwear over his sweatpants bottom. Which honestly, was too much clothing.

 

Steve reached forward and grabbed the man by his hips before yanking him back onto the bed with him. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man and kissed his neck.

 

“Clever girl,” he said fondly as his man simply laughed, sprawled across Steve’s chest.

 

“So you’re okay with… _coming_ this evening?” Now it was Steve’s turn to laugh, loving his absolutely ridiculous husband.

 

“You wear that little purple number and you’ve got yourself a deal,” the blonde said as he rolled the two so they were spooning on the bed, grinding himself against his husband’s ass to show him just how excited he was at the prospect.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Later, after some afternoon delight, they went to tell Jo she’d need to watch her little brother this evening.

 

“It’s the senior luau! You promised I could go last week!” she whined to the two.

 

“I did?” Steve asked skeptically.

 

“Yes, it’s chaperoned, held at the school and Xavier is going with me.”

 

“Shit, she’s right Tony, maybe we shouldn’t go after all…” the blonde started to say.

 

“No! You are just trying to weasel your way out of this and you know Pepper will kill me if I don’t go! Jo, what time does the luau end?”

 

“It ends at like eleven.”

 

“Okay, so Pepper watches Peter until eleven when Jo comes home. How does that sound?” he asked the two. Jo rolled her eyes at that, but nodded reluctantly.

 

“Jo, that means that you’re home by eleven thirty at the latest,” Steve said pointedly to her.

 

“I’ll probably be home before that, I just mostly want to go cause Xavier is going,” she explained honestly. Steve still looked like he was thinking it over for another moment before reluctantly nodding.

 

“Sweet! You guys have fun and stay out of trouble,” she said with a wink before leaving to go get ready.

 

“I don’t like this,” the blonde said before turning back to his husband.

 

“You will later,” the shorter man said with a wink. Steve found himself smiling and rolling his eyes at the man, but his gut was still unsteady.

 

“Yeah? And what do you want to do about fuck-face?” He frowned as Tony’s smile dropped, his husband’s demeanor changing at the mention of that man.

 

“I’ll be fine, Rhodey will be there too and I’ll be attached to your hip all evening. Let’s just keep it about you and me and this fundraiser, okay?” Tony asked as he walked over to wrap his arms around Steve’s middle.

 

“What is this fundraiser even for?” he asked with a pout. His husband laughed before looking up at the man with a smile.

 

“It’s…actually kind of an early anniversary present…” he said with a scrunched face. Steve leaned back a little, brow raised as he waited for his husband to explain himself further.

 

“So…I sort of…started a charity for your first anniversary present. And got the dates confused, which is why I sprung it on you for this evening…”

 

“What charity?” Steve asked before Tony took a step back, gauging his response before answering.

 

“The Sarah Rogers Foundation. It’ll help single mothers. Like those in DV relationships, immigrants, homeless, trafficked, in recovery; it’ll act as a resource center as well as a shelter. The whole shebang. What do you think?”

 

Steve stood there dumbfounded.

 

“That’s…”

 

“Is it okay? I wasn’t trying to imply…” his insecure husband began before Steve shook himself of his senses enough to close the gap between them and kiss that brilliant man. After a moment he pulled away and leaned his forehead against his love’s.

 

“That’s incredible, Tony. I…” he felt his eyes get watery at the idea.

 

He hadn’t thought about his mom in while, and that alone made him feel guilty. Because fuck was she an amazing woman.

 

And for his husband to create something that could help women like her?

 

“I don’t even know what to say Tones, that’s… **fuck**. I love you so much,” he said sincerely as he wrapped himself around the love of his life. He hugged him fiercely before letting him go enough to kiss him again in gratitude.

 

His love chuckled into the kiss, which only warmed the blonde’s heart more, before pulling away enough to speak.

 

“So…you do like it?” the brunette teased with flushed cheeks. Steve rolled his eyes fondly before smiling brightly back at his man.

 

“It’s…perfect. I can’t even articulate how much I love what you’ve done; but I promise you…” he said as he took a step closer to the brunette, towering over him with a predatory grin, “…I will show you this evening just how fucking much I love it. And you,” he finished as his hands grabbed the smaller man’s waist to pull them closer.

 

Tony squawked out a laugh when Steve reached around to squeeze his cheeks, the two immediately parting when they heard their son loudly approach them.

 

“Papa! I can’t find Optimus, I think I left him at Momma’s house,” the boy said with a pout as he entered the kitchen.

 

“You checked your bag you brought?” Steve asked, attention to their son.

 

“Yup.”

 

“What about your messy room, Petey?” Tony asked. “Did you check there?”

 

“It’s not messy anymore,” the boy said with his arms crossed defensively.

 

“You finished cleaning like I asked?” Steve questioned. Peter nodded his head yes and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, your Momma comes back home tomorrow, you’ll have to survive a day without him buddy.”

 

“Hey, you know what’s fun though? Aunty Pepper is coming by later to hang out with you while Papa and I go to a boring party,” Tony said as he walked over to hug the boy. “And I think she said something about pizza and ice cream for dinner?”

 

Steve rolled his eyes fondly at his boys – who both cheered at that.


	48. Chapter 48

Of course, it was only after Happy had dropped her off that she got the message from Xavier that he couldn’t go. His sister was going into labor and he was the only one there to drive her.

 

A valid excuse, but it meant not having anyone to hang out with this evening.

 

However, surprisingly, she actually did have fun.

 

Until later that evening.

 

When Cara found her alone and started talking to her.

 

Jo felt old feelings resurface as she guided the two out of the gym and into the girls locker room.

 

Except there waiting for them, was Staci and a few of her goons.

 

That’s when she noticed they had what looked like boxed flashlights in their hands.

 

She heard a click behind her before the lights shut off.

 

And the strobe lights started.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When she woke up, she blinked realizing there were voices around her. She felt groggy and sleepy and wondered why the ground was cold beneath her.

 

Wait, why was she on the floor? And…wet?

 

In a…locker room?

 

As she blinked awake, she saw what looked like a police officer walking towards her. She looked near her hands, a spilled bottle of vodka lying next to her.

 

_…what the…?_

 

“Alright miss, up and at ‘em,” the man said, grabbing Joey’s arm and not-so-gently pulling her onto her feet.

 

She felt woozy but had no memory of drinking. She can’t even support her weight on her legs, crumbling a little as she heard the officer get more frustrated with her.

 

His voice sounds far away as her brain tries to put the puzzle pieces together.

 

_Seriously…what the actual fuck happened?_

 

Since she was basically a limp noodle at this point, it was easy for the man to handcuff her and escort her out to his car. She saw teachers and other students shaking their heads at her as officers also arrested a few other seniors for presumably drinking as well.

 

_Except she doesn’t feel drunk!_

She feels…

 

…like she had a seizure.

 

_Holy shit._

 

“Officer,” she tried to manage from the backseat. “I’m not drunk,” she slurred out, humphing in frustration at herself.

 

“Ma’am, you have the right to remain silent. I suggest you do so.”

 

“No, please,” she said, struggling with her contorted muscles from having her hands cuffed behind her. “Ask Officer Hill, I need a hospital.”

 

“We’re almost there, you can ask your parents when they pick you up from the station.”

 

“Fuck,” she said in pain, wiggling in her seat as she tried her best to regain control of her muscles and ignore the pain from her wrists. She looked out the window as they pulled up, frowning at seeing other students she recognized arrested for drinking at school.

 

The officer that had her roughly pulled her out of the car and shoved her behind none other than Staci in the line of teenagers. Before she could say anything to that bitch, she heard the person behind her snickering.

 

“Loved your picture on Insta. I think it’s trending,” some girl she’d never spoken too sneered at Joey as she focused on standing up straight.

 

**_Wait. What?_ **

 

“What picture?” she hissed as the girl snuck her phone out to show her.

 

It wasn’t one picture, it was several.

 

Several pictures of her in what looked like her partaking in drunken shenanigans with her fellow classmates.

 

Joey felt her stomach drop as the officers escorted the teens inside the station.

 

_Holy fuck._

_HOLY FUCK._


	49. Chapter 49

What was actually a really nice evening quickly escalated into a complete shit show.

 

After dancing with his incredibly handsome husband a few times and schmoozing the donors, they finally got to sneak away to do the dirty. When they came back, Tony had a few drinks under his husband’s supervision.

 

And that is when they ran straight into Ty.

 

Rhodey – Jesus he loved that man – was immediately at his side while Steve took the other, standing in front of the man Tony had sincerely hoped he’d never see again.

 

“Tony,” the man greeted with a smile.

 

“Tiberius,” Tony said flatly back, or at least he hoped so…he’d had a few drinks, before leaning into Steve’s side. The man blessedly wrapped an arm around his waist, which he also noticed Ty’s face form a frown from that.

 

“You’re not going to greet your old friend?” Rhodey spoke up, getting a chuckle from the genius as Ty’s face flushed at seeing him again. “Or how about Tony’s husband? Steve? I believe you two have met?” the man said while gesturing to Steve.

 

Ty remained quiet, a disgusting smirk on his face as he simply looked between the three men. He took a moment to look down at his phone before responding.

 

“You girls have a nice evening,” the man said before turning away from the group. Tony felt the tension in his body dissipate as he watched the man make for the exit.

 

And before he could count himself lucky, shit hit the fan.

 

Marcus approached him out of nowhere and informed the two fathers that not only was Joey arrested for drinking at a school function, but several pictures of her doing it were already on the internet.

 

Tony turned to his husband who was frozen in place, feeling his instincts take over as he ordered his assistant to relieve Pepper of Peter duty so she could take care of the PR nightmare.

 

“Rhodes, can you stay here for me on standby?” he asked, not waiting for an answer as he grabbed his husband’s hand to lead them to the bathroom.

 

He needed to rid himself of a certain…item and also didn’t want to leave Steve alone right now. After dragging Steve into the big stall, he quickly discarded the expensive toy because he knew his own limits…and this seemed to be the beginning of a long night. Steve wordlessly nodded in understanding and offered a small smile to the brunette before following him out while he washed his hands.

 

Happy was waiting for them outside as he gently guided his still quiet husband to sit in the backseat. Once inside, Happy started driving them as Steve pulled his phone out to look at the pictures again.

 

Tony rubbed his husband’s shoulder in comfort, not really sure what to say.

 

“I don’t believe this,” Steve said quietly.

 

“I know babe, but she’s safe and we’ll deal with all of this–”

 

“–no I mean, I don’t believe this,” he said as he showed Tony the pictures. “Look, her eyes are slightly open in this picture and you can see she’s drenched in sweat. I…I don’t think she drank, Tony. I think she had a seizure…” Tony looked incredulously back and forth from the picture and the genuine look on Steve’s face.

 

He looked at the pictures again, wondering if Steve had some kind of stress aneurysm – cause she looked awfully drunk to Tony.

 

_But fuck, if Steve thought she was innocent?_

 

Then a thought crossed Tony’s mind. Remembering Ty look at his phone before suddenly leaving…not even trying to get the last word in…

 

“You remember how he looked at his phone?” Tony repeated the words audibly, notice Steve slowly turn to fully face the man in realization. “And left without even a jab?”

 

The blonde glared as he nodded his head in understanding.

 

“You think that fucker had something to do with this?”

 

“Makes more sense than Joey doing something that stupid again. She knows what happened last time…” he teased to lighten the tension, glad to see Steve’s smile at that.

 

“I’ll call Pepper to tell her our theory, you go check on Jo,” Tony said as Happy pulled up to a stop in front of the building. 


	50. Chapter 50

She was dead.

 

She was so dead.

 

They probably weren’t even going to come, remembering her Pop’s promise about letting her rot in jail before beating her ass.

 

And she didn’t even do anything wrong this time!

 

She sits in the cell with the other teens, head resting in her hands as she does her best to calm her racing thoughts.

 

Why would her Pops believe her?

 

Yeah, drinking and driving was horrendous. And she was telling the truth when she said she’d never do it again – only thinking about her Dad dying because of it.

 

But she’s done this before, and now she’s been put on the internet – just as Steve had warned her not to. She wasn’t even guilty and her Pop would probably lose his job over this.

 

Fuck he was really going to kill her.

 

Skip the lecture and go straight for the belt.

 

She takes shuddering breaths that quicken beyond her control, hyperventilating to the point that she feels like she’s suffocating.

 

The knot in her stomach tightens as she feels the room start to spin.

 

Off in the distance, she hears people talking and the sounds of metal doors opening before tall creatures loom over her.

 

She’s definitely suffocating, tears freely spilling down her cheeks as she recoils from the dark figures of authority in front of her.

 

But then a familiar voice pushes the others back, a gentle hand grasping Joey’s as she made out Officer Hill kneeling in front of her. The woman tenderly grabbed the teen’s wrists and placed them above her head, calmly talking Joey through what she voiced as a ‘panic attack.’

 

She focused on Maria’s face and soothing words, ignoring the garble of noises coming from the other teenagers. When she could breathe again, but still leaking tears, the policewoman gently stood her up and led her out of the cell and down the hall.

 

She was led into a small room, only noticing there was already an occupant when Hill the Traitor closed the door behind her.

 

Standing in the corner, looking pissed as hell, was Steve. Who, to his credit, did try to look less murderous when she entered.

 

But still, the fear was there and she felt herself trembling from both terror and exertion.

 

He approached her quickly, which startled the teen enough to jump back, even when he raised his hands up in surrender.

 

“Jo,” he said quietly, “you’re okay, you’re not in trouble sweetheart.” The shock on her face only made him laugh, which just further confused the teen. He continued approaching her, though considerably slower, as she stood frozen in place. He wrapped his big arms around her in a hug as she felt the entire anxiety from this evening squeeze out of her body and soul.

 

_Cure all on its own._

“You had a seizure?” he asked quietly as she felt her body attempt to freeze again, only to sag in his arms from exhaustion. She nodded in agreement as he led the two to a chair and pulled her onto his lap.

 

Relief washed over her to the point she started crying again.

 

“There’s pictures…” she started to say, unsure if he knew about them if he was this calm.

 

He just gently shushed her in response, rocking the two back and forth until her tears eventually subsided.

 

“I didn’t drink,” she croaked out, confused by his demeanor.

 

“I know,” he said quietly.

 

“You do?” she asked astonishingly after pulling away to look up at him. _How in the world…?_

“Cara confessed everything, I told you you’re not in trouble baby.” Joey simply stared back at her Pop.

 

“Wha…how?” she asked quietly, before looking down at her lap.

 

“She told the police they used strobe lights to trigger a seizure, then staged it to look like you got drunk to post a picture online. Your Dad’s ex is behind all of this, love. Tony’s on the phone with Pepper sorting it all out and Hill is clearing you of charges as we speak.” She repeated those words in her head and let the information soak in – and though what happened to her was criminal…an overwhelming sense of happiness and relief spread through her.

 

She wasn’t in trouble. She hadn’t done anything wrong and her parents believed her. Even if it was only because that bitch confessed…

 

“Glad she told the truth then,” she mumbled to herself. She felt her Pop shift to gently lift her chin to look at him where he had an unreadable expression on his face.

 

“Joey, I didn’t need her confession to believe you,” he said quietly. The teen simply blinked a few times in response, not fully processing those words. He looked away with a small smile before bringing her back into his crushing embrace.

 

“I saw the pictures. I know what you look like after a seizure, baby. And I know you’re not dumb enough to drink at a school function, let alone with your worst enemy. None of it added up and…I know these last few months have been hard. But I do trust you. And I’m sorry I haven’t been better about that…I saw how scared you were when you first came in here…and after everything you’ve been through tonight…”

 

_Was that a waver in his voice?_

 

Joey tightened her arms around him, so fucking thankful he understood. When she really fucking needed him to, he was with her and on her side. Saw the truth and just how terrified she was.

 

Not just at the possible punishment.

 

But what those girls did to her.

 

Yeah, Cara confessed, but she also participated in doing some serious harm to Joey. Triggering a seizure for some revenge pics? None of them knew what to do if the seizure had gotten any worse. Or if she’d hit her head or broken something?

 

It was terrifying enough not to have control over her own body.

 

But to have malicious sluts trigger something out of you that left her unconscious and vulnerable like that? What if they removed her clothes and took pictures? What if there’s more pictures than the ones they posted? Or what if they invited one of the three guys that also got arrested to…do things to her?

 

Shit was terrifying.

 

She was so fucking thankful that he fucking **understood.**

 

“Do I…should we go to the hospital?” she asked sleepily, feeling safe in his arms. “I wanna make sure they didn’t do…anything,” she finished looking down at her lap. She felt him go rigid around her in fear.

 

“Did they…do you feel like they did something?” he asked, voice dripping with a mixture of anger, horror and heartache.

 

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “I don’t think so but my body is still kind of numb from the seizure. I don’t feel any like, immediate pain…I guess I’m just being paranoid…” she stopped talking in favor of squeaking when she was suddenly swung up into the air. Her Pop immediately started carrying her out the door before talking.

 

“That is being smart, not paranoid kiddo. Who knows what those motherfucking **cunts** did to you?” he said seriously as Joey found herself laughing before curling up into his neck.

 

Safe, thoroughly exhausted and feeling more love than she probably deserved, her eyes quickly shut as sleep consumed her.


	51. Chapter 51

“Tony, seriously, you can’t murder him.”

 

“Yes I absolutely can, Pepper! That fucker will go down for what he fucking did to my daughter,” he growled at his friend who was dragging him back down the hall of the hospital. Rhodey, the other traitor, was on Tony’s other side bringing the man back to his daughter’s room.

 

He held off as long as he could, making sure Joey had Steve in the room before quickly escaping to absolutely murder him. And that’s when his so called ‘besties’ caught him before he could bring justice to this situation.

 

“Calm down, Batman. That’s not justice, it’s revenge. Which, Pep, remind me again why we’re stopping him?” his less-obnoxious and way smarter friend pointed out.

 

“Seriously, James?” she hissed at him as they finally made it to the door. The three peered inside seeing that a doctor was reading some results to Jo. Tony quickly brushed past his friends and entered the room, walking over to stand by his husband.

 

“Mr. Stark, I was just telling your husband and daughter that she is cleared to go home. Test results came back negative and the exam showed no signs of foul play. Unfortunately she’ll still be a little woozy after the seizure, but other than that – she’ll be just fine,” the young doctor said with a smile on her face.

 

The three all breathed a sigh of relief in unison, which caused the group to also burst into giggles; all exhausted from this evening.

 

“You ready to go home?” Steve asked with a smile to their girl. She nodded her head sleepily before raising her arms up at the blonde. His husband quirked a brow at her as Tony heard the doctor leave to give them some privacy.

 

“You want me to carry you?” he asked before turning to wink at his husband. The genius laughed at the pair, loving these two enough to forget anything else at the moment.

 

“Seeeeeeb” the young adult whined with a smile, arms still stretched out at him; giving no sign to otherwise move anytime soon. Both fathers laughed aloud at that before the blonde happily obliged her request.

 

Tony walked over to kiss them both on the cheek, loving the blush that only a Rogers could really do justice. He walked alongside the pair, making sure to snap a picture or two when they weren’t looking.

 

Pepper and Rhodey both suddenly appeared in front of the family, smiling and redirecting them out to the other exit.

 

“What are you doing?” Tony asked as he shook off Pepper’s grip.

 

“Paparazzi’s outside,” the Colonel said, not looking Tony in the eye.

 

“You’re lying,” he quickly snapped back, hands moving to his hips at the sheer amount of betrayal from these two.

 

And then he heard a voice that was so familiar it sent a chill down his spine.

 

“Do you know who I am?! Tell me where he is or you’ll lose your pathetic receptionist job.” Tony felt his blood boil as fury burned completely through him. He heard his husband off to the side speaking to him, but he ignored everything in favor of finally confronting that piece of shit.

 

He rounded the corner and clenched his fists seeing that blonde bastard again.

 

“HEY!” he shouted as a hand suddenly gripped his bicep. He turned to see Steve standing next to him, no longer holding Joey. When he heard footsteps in front of him, his attention turned back to focus on who deserves a fist to the face.

 

“You son of a bitch, trying to frame me because your little step-delinquent got shit-faced?” Voldemort sneered at him as he felt Steve shift to stand in between them. He stood glaring, feeling Steve take a breath to speak before they were interrupted by a certain teen.

 

“Is this the fuckface??” she demanded as she walked past Tony to stand directly in front of the unsuspecting man. “You sick son of a bitch. How **fucking dare you** show your ugly face here. You’re going to jail for what you fucking did to me.”

 

Steve and Tony both stood frozen, watching their teen in shock and amazement. When Stone simply laughed at her, she resorted to an impressive right hook to his crotch. The small crowd of people gaped as the man plummeted to the ground in pain.

 

She further surprised everyone by planting a foot firmly on his injured area before leaning down to threaten him.

 

“You listen to me you pathetic piece of shit, if you ever come anywhere near me or my family ever again – and that especially includes **my Dad** – **I will rip your balls off and feed them to you**.” The fathers stood in absolute astonishment, never hearing her use such a menacing threat against someone.

 

Tony enjoyed the painful groans and terrified puffs of breath coming from the coward.

 

He turned to his husband, smiling at seeing him with his arms crossed and looking so damn proud of their girl. Joey quickly released her captive before walking back over to her dads with an adorably shit-eating grin.

 

Tony quickly pulled her into a hug, ignoring the weak threats the wounded creature was shouting at them.

 

“You, call the police and report assault!”

 

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about?” the receptionist said ever so sweetly, Tony reminding himself to send her flowers. Maybe send some chocolates to the other doctors and nurses pretending like they hadn’t seen anything either. He turned back to see his husband and daughter in a tight hug.

 

He found himself chuckling fondly when Steve turned around to offer her a piggyback ride in reward for her behavior, the family ignoring the shouts as their friends helped them finally exit the hospital.

 

Once outside and heading toward the open car door Happy had for them, they verbalized their approval.

 

“Holy shit, Jo! That was incredible,” the genius said in excitement, picturing the event and wondering if someone recorded that as they slid into the back seat.

 

“Buck woulda been so proud of you,” Steve said in agreement as Tony saw her cheeks flush bright pink.

 

“D’aww, thanks guys. I will admit, part of that was for selfish reasons,” she said with a grin as the two fathers found themselves quickly enveloping her in a hug sandwich.

 

“Well, regardless, I think you might’ve effectively gotten rid of our pest problem,” Tony said with a smile as he released the teen.

 

"Do you think he'll actually file charges against me?"

 

"There didn't seem to be any witnesses..." his husband pointed out.

 

"That chicken-shit wouldn't dare!" Tony piped in. "With everything he's done, he'll probably cop a plea to escape some jail time. If word gets out, can't imaging what it'll do to Stone's stock either..."

 

"Which part, paying some bitches to trigger my seizures or the fact he got his ass handed to him by a girl?"

 

"¿Porque no los dos?" Tony replied, before pulling her in for another hug.


	52. Chapter 52

“Jo, seriously, I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you,” Xavier apologized for the fourth time.

 

“Xavy, your sister was giving birth to your first nephew. And she needed you to drive her. I’m not mad at you ya goober.”

 

“Well I could’ve come after getting her to the hospital.”

 

“Xa – did you know they would do that?”

 

“Well, no…”

 

“Then you have nothing to apologize for, now stop sulking and show me pictures of little Tyrell!” she demanded as the two walked to Stark Industries.

 

Her Dad had ended up telling Xavier what happened, and the other teen felt immediately guilty, asking if he could treat her to lunch before they stop by SI to drop off some forms.

 

“He was literally born yesterday, so he still looks like an alien,” he explained as he handed her his phone to scroll thru.

 

“Oh Xavy he is freaking cute!” she said honestly, smiling at his tiny fingers and toes, before they were interrupted.

 

“Jo?” they heard a voice behind them, turning around and both frowning at Cara.

 

“Ooh, bitch you got some nerve,” Xavier growled as Joey gently pushed him back.

 

“What do you want?” she asked sharply, not caring about the hurt look on her face.

 

“Look, I just want to apologize…”

 

“Oh here we go again,” Xavy piped in.

 

“Are you even gay?” Joey asked bluntly, not really wanting an apology.

 

“Wh..what?”

 

“You heard me. Are you attracted to girls?”

 

“I…that’s kind of a private conversation,” Cara said nodding to her best friend beside her.

 

“It’s a simple fucking question, Cara.” The teen looked dumbfounded back at her, but Jo kept her face devoid of emotion, long since over this bitch. "After everything you've done to me...I think I deserve at least that much."

 

“Look, I’m fucking sorry, okay? My father works for Stone–”

 

“–she’s trying to apologize again, Jo.”

 

“Seriously, Cara. Just stay the fuck away from me. What you did is unforgivable…”

 

“Look, I just…I’m moving in with my aunt in Idaho and wanted to say sorry…and goodbye…”

 

“Okay,” Jo said, not really sure what she wanted her to say to that. Thankfully, her best friend grabbed her arm to steer them away. She went willingly, unwanted feelings bubbling in her gut as they walked into the air conditioned building.

 

The same one she usually stopped at to gaze upon, this time staring at the ground.

 

Xavier released her arm once they got inside.

 

“Do you wanna come with me to drop these off?” he asked gently.

 

“I think I’m just going to sit here and wait for you,” she said as she gestured to the comfy seats in the lounge area. He offered her a nod in response before heading towards the elevators.

 

Joey couldn’t help it, a part of her still cared about Cara. She wished that part would just let her be, let her move on to the next girl to break her heart. Cara was a closeted coward, and Joey deserved better.

 

Her anger momentarily blocked her from noticing someone approaching her slowly before gently sitting next to her. Joey startled when the person touched her arm, turning sharply and wondering for a moment if she was actually dreaming.

 

It was _her_.

 

The beautiful creature she saw the last time she visited SI.

 

Her soft brown eyes were washed in concern as Joey realized she was waiting for an answer, which meant she had asked her a question.

 

“Sorry?” Joey sputtered out. The young woman smiled back at her, adorably biting her lip before responding.

 

“I just asked if you were okay, you seemed really upset.”

 

“I…have we met?” she asked incredulously, wondering how lame it would be to literally pinch herself right now.

 

“No, but I know Mr. Stark’s family. I’m one of your dad’s interns, he brags about you guys a lot.”

 

Jo suddenly felt her cheeks blush furiously, wondering what embarrassing things he would have possibly told her. Or showed her…

 

“Dear god, please disregard everything that man has said about me.”

 

“It’s cute! Your dad obviously loves you…Joey, right? I’m Helen, Helen Cho,” the brown eyed beauty said while extending her hand out in greeting. Joey returned the gesture, praying her palms weren’t as sweaty as she was imagining.

 

“Yeah, it’s…it’s nice to meet you,” Joey stuttered out. Helen simply smiled back at her in response, not looking at her like the weirdo she is.

 

“So what’s got you so upset?” Jo looked in awe of this woman, sounding like she genuinely wanted to know if she was okay. There was also something about this woman that made it nearly impossible for Joey to lie to her.

 

“Broken heart,” she replied honestly, surprised by her own candor as she stared down at her lap.

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, he was probably a bastard anyway.”

 

“Uh…it was a she…” Jo said awkwardly before stealing a glance back at the woman. Helen looked genuinely surprised, cheeks flushed adorably pink, before muttering, “oh, oh.”

 

Joey quirked a brow before saying, “I thought you knew the Stark family? Didn’t you know we’re all raging homosexuals?” And then Helen laughed, and Joey knew she was a gonner.

 

_No seriously, Cara who?_

 

“Well, then _she_ is a bastard,” Helen retorted, now getting a laugh from Joey as the teen felt her chest burn with warmth.

 

“Yeah, she was…” Joey trailed off awkwardly, remembering the conversation she had literally minutes ago.

 

“Feel free to check my references, but **I** am not a bastard,” Helen said nonchalantly as Joey felt her brain short circuit.

 

“I…I…” Joey began to stutter out as the beautiful woman’s nose scrunched up adorably.

 

“I’m sorry, was that too forward?”

 

“Nope!” Joey practically shouted, immediately closing her eyes in embarrassment as she heard the angel laugh again.

 

“Well then…can I take you to dinner?” were the words that came out of Helen’s mouth, but Joey took about half a minute to process them.

 

Luckily, her best friend in the whole wide world had returned and answered for her.

 

“She’d be delighted!” Xavier exclaimed with his hands clapped together.

 

“Excellent!” Helen said before Joey could even formulate words. “Well, my break is over so I should be getting back. Here! Take my business card, I just got these yesterday,” she said as she handed Jo a little card. She was still in too much shock, thankful that Xavier took it for her and also introduced himself.

 

“It was nice to meet you guys, but I really do have to run. Joey, call me,” she said with a wink that had the teen glad she was already sitting down.

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jo rambled as Xavier walked over to pinch her shoulder.

 

“Doing better?” he asked with a shit eating grin.

 

“Xa…I’m literally weak in the knees,” she said quietly, smiling when he laughed aloud at that. She slowly got up, excepting the sideways hug from her friend before leaving.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She hadn’t seen May since before her Dad’s surgery. Though her parents assured the teen May wasn’t mad at her, it had just seemed weird asking to see her.

 

You know, after what she did to her son.

 

But as luck would have it, May was back at her home, having afternoon coffee with her dads while Peter was coloring next to them. She felt a little frozen in the entrance way, silently watching the group before her little brother noticed her.

 

“Hey Joey!” he greeted as he stayed sitting on the floor.

 

“Hey,” came a chorus from the adults as Joey awkwardly came over to join them, waving to the group.

 

“How’s my favorite future-employer doing?”

 

“Xavy’s fine, still feels guilty though,” she responded to her Dad as she focused on scooting next to her brother to color with him.

 

“And you? How are you doing Joey?” her Pop asked as he reached over to tussle her hair in playful greeting.

 

“Oh, I’m…” she could feel her cheeks blush as she thought about Helen, “…good.”

 

“Ooooh, I know that look,” her Dad teased in an obnoxious sing-song voice. "Did you meet a girl?"

 

“Uh oh, I think he’s right,” her equally frustrating Pop added. She rolled her eyes at both of them until she heard May speak up.

 

“Alright, fellas, lay off the poor girl. Lord knows you two poke her private life enough as it is.”

 

“Thanks May,” she said to the woman before quickly sticking her tongue out to her parents, smiling when only Tony returned the gesture.

 

“What? You don’t think I know my own company?” he asked as Jo felt her eyes widen in shock, which only earned a laugh from the adults.

 

_Did they all know?_

“He’s lying, Xavier tattled because he wants to make sure you actually go through with it,” Pop answered quickly, but not before shoving his husband on the couch.

 

“Yes, okay? Obviously I told May, she’s sitting right here! And she’s family,” the genius said in his defense. Joey rolled her eyes fondly as her little brother suddenly piped in.

 

“Jo, if you think Momma is family then why don’t you call her Momma?”

 

And suddenly Jo felt the air leave her lungs. The energy in the room shifted as she heard Steve answer for her.

 

“Petey she already had a Momma, remember? But she died when Jo was little…”

 

“She had a Daddy too though?” he asked confusedly.

 

“That’s true Petey, but Momma is more of an Aunt to Joey than a Momma…” Tony tried to explain as Peter just looked more confused.

 

“Sweetie, Joey can call me whatever she wants, including Aunt May,” the woman said pointedly to Jo as she felt her cheeks blush.

 

“Oh, Aunt May! That’s adorable!” Tony said excitedly, clapping his hands together.

 

“You…you wouldn’t mind?” Joey asked cautiously, even though the woman literally just offered it to her.

 

“Of course not,” she reassured her with a smile.

 

“What do you think, Petey? Does calling her Aunt May live up to your family standards?” Jo asked teasingly at the boy.

 

“Yeah I guess,” her little brother said with a smile.

 

“Alright…Aunt May…” Jo said with a smile and looked down at her lap. She felt her Pop teasingly pinch her shoulder, but chose to ignore him in favor of focusing on joining her brother and coloring like the kid she still was.

 

"Helen's amazing, excellent choice Joey," her Dad spoke up, interrupting her thoughts.

 

"Yeah, I think so too," she said with a blush.

 

"Oo, do I hear wedding bells?" her obnoxiously blonde father piped in. Before she could remind him they had had _one conversation_ \- her other obnoxious father decided to pipe in.

 

"I totally give you permission to name your first child after me."

 

"Jesus you two, if you're wanting grandchildren you're going to have to wait until Petey here knocks some girl up. I told you I don't want kids."

 

"Yeah," her Pop interrupted fondly. "I said the same thing."

 

She rolled her eyes with a smile, glad they changed their topic of conversation while she focused on drawing with her brother.


	53. Chapter 53

After everything they had been through, Steve counts himself lucky neither he nor his husband - nor his daughter, for that matter - ended up in jail for assaulting Stone. Word did get out, when the teens proved themselves smarter than Stone thought - providing evidence that he had arranged it all. Add that to the fact that none of the hospital workers were willing to provide backup to Stone's story...he was screwed.

 

Well, as screwed as a millionaire could be - which meant his father paid his way out, with the agreement he would leave the country and never come back. 

 

Stone Inc dropped in the stock market so much that Stone sold it. 

 

To Tony.

 

For a fraction of what it was worth. Obadiah retired still a millionaire, which didn't leave much for his worthless son. Tony shut down the company, but kept all the workers - simply transferring them to SI. 

 

One of the many,  _many_ reasons he loved this selfless man.

 

This ridiculous man, who was currently whining to their daughter about not wanting to participate at her eighteenth birthday.

 

"Come on, Dad! It's paintball, you'll have fun!" she whined right back to him. 

 

"You have to babe, you already promised her," Steve reminded him, ignoring the man's puppy dog eyes.

 

"Aw, Tony! You have to go, it won't be as much fun if I can't shoot you in the ass," Rhodey piped in as they were getting ready. The rest of the gang were meeting them at the field they reserved - May and Peter in charge of decorations. Pepper volunteered to bring the food and cake.

 

"See? You have to," she added with a shit eating grin. He smiled as his husband rolled his eyes as dramatically as only Tony could do.

 

"Oh you are so lucky you're my kid," he growled while staring at the ceiling. 

 

"Oh get over it, you big drama queen," Rhodey said as he helped Joey put on the jumpsuit they had ordered for the occasion. Steve zipped his own up as he walked over to his husband. 

 

"You'll have fun, babe," the blonde said as he grabbed the jumpsuit for his husband and held it out to him. His love grumbled but grabbed the suit to wear, making sure to add an over dramatic sigh. He leaned in to kiss his love's cheek before whispering in his ear.

 

" _Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while tonight_ ," he promised.

 

" _Well, that's all you had to say_ ," his husband whispered back. Steve stopped him from any further PDA when he heard their daughter groan in complaint.

 

It was her birthday, after all.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After a few rounds, they decided it was time for presents and cake. The only clean ones were May, Pepper and Peter - all who opted out. Everyone else was covered in dirt and paint splatters, sitting around the wooden tables under the canopy. 

 

"Open mine first, Joey!" Peter piped in while he helped his mom pass out party hats. Clint took over camera duties from Happy so he could help Pepper and Natasha with the food and candle placing. 

 

Joey sat between Helen and Tony as the blonde stood behind her, reaching out to keep the tiara Sam had placed on her head from falling off. She smiled at her little brother as she unwrapped the transformer wrapping paper. Steve had to shush Thor and Xavier who were still arguing over the outcome of the last game as Joey pulled out a familiar looking stuffed lion. 

 

"It's a Simba!" she cried out in excitement as she showed everyone the toy. "Peter did you know I used to have one of these?"

 

"Uh huh! Papa told me you lost it when you were little, Mama helped me find one!" he said excitedly. 

 

"It's so cute!" Helen piped in as she reached over to high five Pete. "Well done!"

 

"Okay, mine next!" "No, mine!"

 

"Would you let my child decide for herself?" Tony piped in as Steve moved to hug that man, resting his chin on top of the brunette's head.

 

"Go fast Joey! We can't have cake until you open them all," Peter said as he shoved the other gifts in her direction.

 

"What? No, it's my birthday, which makes me queen, which means it's cake time now!" she said with a smile, turning to her parents with an open-mouthed smile. 

 

"You don't want to open the others?" Steve asked as Pepper was already clearing space on the table for the giant cake. 

 

"The faster I can blow out these candles and eat cake, the faster I can get Xavier back for the cheap shot."

 

"Cheap shot my ass!" her best friend piped in, mock offended.

 

"Language!" Peter said, tiny finger pointing at the teen. 

 

"Aw man, you are spending too much time with your Papa," Sam said with a grimace as they all huddled around the cake - now lit up with the candles.

 

They all made sure to sing 'happy birthday' obnoxiously loud, Clint and Sam adding "you look like a monkey and smell like one too," to the song. Steve stole a glance at his kid, whose face was lit up with pure glee as her girlfriend stole an adorable kiss on her cheek. 

 

"Make a wish, baby girl," he added, arms still wrapped around his husband. She smiled at him before closing her eyes and blowing out the candles, immediately followed by cheers from the large group. 

 

He stole a glance at the sky, knowing his big brother was probably smiling down at them.

 

So, incredibly damn proud of their girl.


	54. Chapter 54

FLASHBACK

 

 

Steve was so exhausted, he almost got written up for falling asleep in class again. He walked slowly home, thinking of the one-month old screaming tyrant and exhausted brother waiting for him. He took the long way home for that reason, wondering if he should just take a nap before facing the screaming baby again. When he finally made it home, he walked in slowly to prepare himself.

 

When he heard nothing but silence, he took his jacket and shoes off before walking into the living room. There, on the floor, were two passed out beings that immediately brought a smile to the fourteen year old's face. 

 

Bucky was lying on his back, shirt off with Jo sprawled over his chest, rising and falling with his chest as he breathed in his deep slumber. Since he saw the opportunity for it, he quietly pulled his drawing pad out, sat on the couch, and proceeded to draw the picture in front of him. 

 

His poor brother looked so exhausted, still getting over being a single parent and losing the mother of his child. The four week old screeching infant didn't make that any easier, and Steve thought to himself - not for the first time - he would  _never have kids_. She was cute now, of course, cause she was unconscious. 

 

He made sure to etch the drool currently pooling on his brother's chest from his baby, smiling and wondering if he should also try to catch some z's before she woke up again. But drawing always put him in such a tranquil mood, he felt at peace as he sketched the duo. One hand was protectively placed on her back as Bucky's head shifted a little in his sleep, causing the younger man to momentarily pause in his drawing. 

 

When he simply resumed sleeping, he turned his attention back to his sketch. He was so deep in concentration that he almost missed Bucky opening his eyes a few times in waking up. 

 

"Whatcha drawing, Picasney?" came the voice rough with sleep. Steve smiled at his brother before turning the picture around for him to see. Bucky hummed in approval before glancing back down at his daughter with a smile on his face. "How was school today, punk?" his brother asked as he carefully stretched out below the still sleeping baby girl. 

 

"It was school," Steve replied with a shrug, still smiling even when Joey started to stir awake. "Hey sleeping beauty," he whispered to the baby who blinked awake and smiled at her uncle. 

 

"Oh good," his brother deadpanned, "you're awake." He gently shifted the two to a sitting position as he checked her diaper. "Oh, look at that, and you left me a present, what a thoughtful daughter you are," he teased as Steve chuckled at the two. He watched his brother stand up to bring her to the changing table before bringing the two back over to sit on the couch. 

 

"You wanna hold her? She's super cuddly after her nap," Buck said with a smile as he held her against his chest. 

 

"I'm good," Steve said, shifting on the couch to face the two. "Any regrets yet?" he teased to his big brother.

 

"Nope," he said quickly and honestly, which caught Steve by surprise.

 

"Really? You wouldn't want to wait until you're older and more...I don't know...stable?" Buck simply laughed before bringing the baby to his face to kiss. 

 

"Life works in mysterious ways, baby bro."

 

"It's just us Buck, you can tell me."

 

"I am telling you," he said with an eye roll, "if I could go back ten months ago, I still wouldn't have worn the condom."

 

"You're kidding," Steve deadpanned, offended at the thought.

 

Look, he loved his niece, he really did. But she threw their entire world into a chaotic tail spin - with no sign of a light at the end of this shit-producing tunnel. There was barely enough room in their shitty apartment for the three of them, let alone a baby and all the extra stuff that comes with it. 

 

"I'm really not. Look, have I not slept for the past four weeks? Sure. Has the stress of all of this given me a grey hair on my right temple? Perhaps. Am I in way over my head? You bet your skinny ass I am," he said, pausing when Steve genuinely laughed at that. "But I don't regret her, Stevie. As crazy as she drives me...I don't know how to explain it..." he trailed off as he smiled at his daughter - who was currently cuddled up against his chest. 

 

"Having a kid does something to you. She makes me want to be a better man, not just for her, but for myself. Do I wish the circumstances were different? Sure. But everyday she surprises me, and it's...I don't know. It's a privilege getting to watch her grow."

 

"If that's what you wanna call it," the shorter teen teased. 

 

"You'll understand one day," Buck said as Steve tried his best not to roll his eyes. 

 

"Still can't believe your ugly mug made something that cute," Steve teased as he saw Joey smile at him. He reached over to gently caress her cheek, smiling when she let out a sleepy giggle at that. Kept smiling as she reached her tiny hand out to grasp his finger. 

 

"You and me both, brother," he teased back, handing Joey over when she started reaching for her uncle. Steve obliged, adding a scoff before gently bringing her to his chest as she snuggled up under his neck. "You think Ma regrets having us? Even though she did it on her own?"

 

 Steve frowned at that.

 

"I guess not..."

 

"Well, she's always been a Saint, maybe that wasn't the best example," Buck teased as he got up to stretch out again. "But that little shit factory is by far the best thing that ever happened to me," he said before walking off towards the bathroom.

 

Steve looked down at his niece, kissing the top of her head as he imagined his future extravagant single life.


	55. Chapter 55

TEN YEARS LATER

 

 

Steve sat in the living room with his husband's head on his lap, waiting for both their kids to come to Sunday dinner as promised. He was stroking the man's hair that was starting to get more salt in the pepper these days as they heard the familiar ding. They looked up a moment later to see their teenager join them. 

 

"Hey Petey, how's mom and Ben doing?" he asked their son.

 

"Good, way less gross then you two are," he teased as he made his way over to join them on the couch. 

 

"You should've seen us thirty minutes ago," his husband teased back as Steve playfully flicked his love's ear.

 

"What?" Tony asked accusingly as he rubbed his ear. "He's used to it by now!"

 

"I'm really not," the teen deadpanned back, face breaking into a smile when his father began poking him with his outstretched feet.

 

They stopped once they heard the familiar ding again, the three turning their attention to the entrance way.

 

"James, come back and take off your coat!" they heard Joey shout as the toddler ran into the living room. 

 

"Poppy! Granddaddy!" the little boy shouted in excitement as Tony sat up on the couch to catch him. 

 

"Jamie! How's my favorite grandson doing?" Tony asked as they saw his moms and baby sister join them. 

 

"You are a ridiculous child," Joey said fondly as she carried the six month old over to the group, Helen following close behind. 

 

"Takes after his Momma," Steve teased back, kissing his grandson before he reached out for his squealing granddaughter. 

 

"Yeah but he's looking more and more like his Umma," Tony said as he handed the toddler over to attack his favorite uncle before turning his attention to the baby in the blonde's arms.

 

"Unca Petey!" Jamie exclaimed as he tackled the teen while Joey joined them on the couch to finagle the coat off the toddler. 

 

"I carried them both, they better look like me," Helen teased as she walked over to kiss her in-laws in greeting, pulling her phone out to snap a few pics as the baby playfully grabbed Steve's nose.

 

"Poppy," Samantha garbled with a smile. 

 

"Hey Sammy!" he said as he pulled the baby in to kiss her cheek, before holding her above his head as she giggled adorably. 

 

"Alright, my turn," his husband said as he reached up for their granddaughter. 

 

"Gaga!" she said as Steve found himself laughing and conceding to his husband.

 

"She'll say Granddaddy eventually," Helen assured him as she placed the diaper bag behind the couch. 

 

"She can call me whatever she wants," Tony said with a smile as he kissed the baby several times on her adorable face. "She can even add 'Lady' to the front, I don't care." They turned their attention to the giggling toddler, who was currently being thrown in the air by their teenager. 

 

"Alright, chill baby bro," Joey said with a frown, hands reaching up to steady their acrobatics. 

 

"No chill, Momma!" Jamie giggled as their daughter simply rolled her eyes at the two.

 

"That's your son," she said to her wife accusingly, who simply pulled her phone out again to snap a few more pics. 

 

"Come on Jamie, I think Poppy made some cookies for us," Pete said as he hefted the toddler on his shoulders and carried him into the kitchen. 

 

"Just one Peter, we'll be having dinner soon!" Joey shouted and frowned when she simply heard the pair laugh at her. 

 

"How's the firm, Joey?" Steve asked as he watched his husband make silly faces at their grand-baby to get her laughing.

 

"Great, works good," she said with a smile as Helen moved to sit next to her on the couch, absolutely beaming with pride at her wife. 

 

"She's being modest for once, she was recently promoted to partner," Helen piped in before placing a kiss on her cheek. 

 

"Congrats Jo!" Tony said as Steve offered his own congratulations. 

 

"And Helen? How's residency under Dr. Banner?" Steve asked his daughter in law. 

 

"Amazing, thanks for asking," she said kindly. "Bruce is really an incredible mentor. What's for dinner Steve?"

 

"I've got pot roast in the oven, but if you're hungry I've got some snacks in the kitchen-" he was cut off from saying anything else when they heard a commotion in the kitchen, shortly before hearing their son shout.

 

"Jamie, wait!"

 

And sure enough, a butt naked toddler zoomed in to rejoin them in the living room. Tony and Steve burst out laughing as they saw Joey look at her son in horror. 

 

"How did you get naked so fast?" she said as she got up to chase him. 

 

"I'm sorry...who's son is he?" Helen asked as the grandfathers continued laughing - all well aware of the stories of a young and constantly naked Jo. 

 

"He's mine, alright? I get it. This is karma coming back to bite me," she said as Peter came back in holding the toddler's clothes. 

 

"I turned away for like two seconds," he said in his defense as he walked behind the couch, plopping the clothes in Helen's lap before moving to steal Sammy from Tony, cooing at the baby as she giggled in his arms. 

 

"Pop, help me out here! Grab him," Jo said as Jamie pretended to 'hide' next to him beside the couch.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about, I don't see any Jamie here," he said teasingly as his grandson laughed and his daughter simply glared at him. 

 

"Stop gloating!" she whined at him as she continued chasing the toddler around the living room. "At least put a diaper on!" she said, already tired of running. Steve kept laughing when he realized, her son was not so tired. 

 

"No Momma! Nakey time!"

 

"There's no such thing!" Joey said exasperatedly as Steve watched Tony stand up. 

 

"Come on Hel, how bout I fix us some drinks?" he said to their daughter in law, laughing at the pout Jo threw in his direction. Peter followed them with Sam into the kitchen, leaving Steve, Jo and a still naked Jamie behind. 

 

The toddler climbed up on the couch next to Steve as the man pulled the toddler onto his lap, smiling when an exhausted Jo came over to sit next to them. 

 

"I give up, pee on Poppy for all I care," she said as plopped down and leaned against Steve's shoulder. He smiled before kissing the top of her head in sympathy.

 

"Poor baby," he murmured as Jamie looked confused at him. 

 

"She's not a baby, she's a Momma." Steve chuckled as he used his free arm to wrap around Joey. 

 

"She's still my baby, just like your hers," he explained as he felt Jo chuckle in his embrace. 

 

"Have I apologized lately for how horrendous I was at his age?" she asked. 

 

"You called me yesterday just for that reason, remember?" he reminded her with a smile as she hummed in response.

 

"Jamie tell Poppy what we did today." 

 

"Oh! Poppy, we brought flowers to Grampa Bucky!" he said in excitement, moving around to face Steve. 

 

"You did? That's so nice of you! What kind of flowers did you bring him?"

 

"Uhh...Momma what were they again?"

 

"Tiger lilies, baby."

 

"Yeah! 'cept they didn't really look like tigers, Poppy." 

 

"Oh, that's a bummer," he said. 

 

"Momma said I was named after him. James was his first name, right Momma?"

 

"Mhmm," he heard Jo say, causing the man to steal a look at his girl...who was falling asleep against him. 

 

He leaned down to kiss her head, not for the first time thanking the sky above for her.

 

And his incredible family. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3 
> 
> Also Umma is Korean for Momma, according to Google.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of these characters. All mistakes are my own.


End file.
